Union of Souls
by sol-li
Summary: Yoshiko, a young princess, chases a pet cat into the woods, only to encounter a powerful dog-demon who takes a sudden interest in her. Despite her growing love for him, a sudden complication may force her to leave her old life behind.
1. Union of Souls Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE  
  
*  
  
"Come back here!"  
  
The princess's call was ignored. The gray kitten scampered over the tree roots and across a narrow streambed. Without looking back, it slithered under a heavy wooden gate and into the long, waving grass.   
  
Frustrated, Yoshiko pushed open the gate. She could see a little streak of silvery gray slipping like a ghost through the grass. Fortunately the kitten was little more than a baby; he never strayed very far. But in the grass, he might get lost and have trouble finding his way back to the garden.  
  
Yoshiko grabbed the sides of her layered kimonos and began running after the kitten, to the edge of the forest. She glanced back at the castle, to see if anyone had seen her go. The only person was the ancient, half-blind gardener who pottered around the magnolia trees at odd hours. He was raking the gravel paths, humming tunelessly to himself.  
  
I'll find the kitten and be back before anyone notices, she thought.   
  
A narrow path overgrown with weeds wound into the woods. Yoshiko went as quickly as she dared. Branches caught at her thin silk clothing, and vines tripped her up. She steadied herself on a tree branch and called, "Where are you?" A rustle in the underbrush was her reply. She saw a pale gray streak dart under the leaves and into a ditch. But when she reached it, the kitten was gone.  
  
After awhile, Yoshiko glanced over her shoulder. She couldn't see the castle anymore, although the overgrown path wound back the way she had come; at least she wasn't really lost. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, feeling uneasy. A cold breeze blew through the woods.  
  
Then she heard a scratching noise from behind a massive tree. "There you are," she called. "Come on out!"   
  
In response, a dark shape stepped around the tree. Yoshiko froze. It wasn't her lost kitten.  
  
At first she thought it was a man, although he would have been the tallest man she had ever seen. He was wearing richly-embroidered clothing edged in red, and light silver armor over his shoulders and chest. A long, worn sword hung from his waist. At first glance, he looked like a nobleman, perhaps a wealthy warrior. But he wasn't a human. A mane of silver hair fell down his back, and his stern face was bone-white, except for thin purplish stripes running up his cheekbones. His ears were long and pointed like willow leaves. And his eyes were the color of gold -- staring straight at her.   
  
A demon.   
  
Her breath caught in her throat. For a moment, Yoshiko was too afraid to move, too afraid to speak. The demon did not move or say anything, just continued staring at her with those piercing yellow eyes.  
  
Then Yoshiko turned and ran as fast as she could. She flew over the tangled vines and weeds, not looking back for fear of what she would see behind her. Her breath came in little gasps and whimpers. Suddenly her foot slipped, and she stumbled to her knees. She staggered back up and ran over the winding path, until she burst back out into the sunlight.  
  
Yoshiko didn't slow down until the wooden gate had banged shut behind her. The old gardener looked up and scratched his head. "All well, m'lady?" he asked, pausing in his raking.  
  
"Yes," Yoshiko said breathlessly. "I'm fine..."  
  
But she wasn't fine. She was still frightened. Her father had told her about demons like that one. They weren't like the little kitsune tricksters, or the dumb beasts like that giant centipede that had ravaged some nearby farms a few years before. They could be savage and cunning, with power that could destroy dozens of humans in one sweep. Yoshiko had never thought she would actually run into one face-to-face.  
  
She wrapped her arms around herself. "Well, it doesn't matter now," she murmured. "I don't think he followed me. I just hope I don't see him again..."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	2. Union of Souls Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO  
  
*  
  
"Yoshiko?"  
  
Her mother's voice broke through Yoshiko's thoughts. "Yes, Mother?" she said quickly. "I'm sorry, I was thinking."  
  
"I said," her mother said, nibbling at her dinner, "that there are reports about a demon lurking in the woods nearby. Your father said so."  
  
Yoshiko glanced around the room at the people assembled -- three of her sisters, her two brothers, her brothers-in-law, and her many nephews and nieces. Her father, a richly dressed, gaunt man with tired eyes, was almost lost in the crowd. "How did the subject come up?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Well," Lady Amako said reprovingly, "Oyaki told me that when she was getting well water, she saw you running off into the woods like a wild thing. You aren't to do that for awhile, especially with some sort of creature lurking nearby."  
  
I don't have any problem with that, Yoshiko thought. She took a bite of rice.  
  
"You didn't SEE that creature, did you?" Amako had difficulty keeping the curiosity from her voice.  
  
"No, of course not," Yoshiko heard herself say. She stuffed more rice in her mouth to avoid answering any more questions.  
  
"Oh, that's good." Amako seemed vaguely disappointed. "Well, so long as it's a dumb beast and not one of those cunning, human-like demons."  
  
Yoshiko choked.  
  
"Are you all right?" her sister Osiha asked, patting Yoshiko on the back.  
  
"I'm fine," Yoshiko murmured, covering her mouth.  
  
*  
  
Yoshiko felt vaguely uneasy for the rest of that day, even after the shock of encountering the demon had worn off. All the same, she kept glancing over her shoulder, as if expecting to find the hulking demon with his bright golden eyes and stern face.   
  
The gray kitten had somehow found its way back to the castle. Now it tripped just behind the train of her robe, mewing softly.  
  
"My lady?"  
  
Yoshiko stopped. It was Samadu, a young lordling who was staying with her family for the time being. He was supposedly getting to know Yoshiko's elder sister Aziko. But things hadn't turned out quite that way. Though Yoshiko's four older sisters -- three married already -- accused her of being naive, she knew perfectly well what Samadu thought of her. He got a look like an eager puppy whenever she was in the room.  
  
"Yes?" Yoshiko asked distractedly.  
  
"You were very quiet when we ate tonight," Samadu said. "Are you feeling all right?"  
  
"Yes... yes, I'm fine. I just have a little headache."  
  
"Perhaps you should go to bed early," Samadu ventured.  
  
Yoshiko assured him that she would do that. She hurried down the hallway, stealing a glance back at Samadu. He looked wistfully at her before turning and walking back the way he had come. Probably back to Amiko and her flirtations and her giggling. Yoshiko stifled a sigh as her maid deftly took off her many robes and washed her face. She didn't dislike Samadu, but it made her uncomfortable to be adored openly by him.  
  
Her maid lit a lamp and left it burning on the windowsill.  
  
After the girl had gone, Yoshiko curled up under a blanket and watched the stars out of a wide, open window. A soft breeze blew through the room.  
  
Then she froze. The clouds had been blown away for a moment, allowing the moon to shine through. And she caught a glimpse of silvery figure seated high in a tree. She wasn't sure, because she could only see the figure for a moment... but she was sure it was the demon. Frightened, Yoshiko slammed the window screen shut and huddled on the floor.  
  
For a moment, there was silence. Then something small struck the screen from the outside.  
  
Yoshiko gasped. Is he trying to break in? she thought.  
  
After a moment, the same thump rang out. Her heart pounding, Yoshiko opened the screen. Two small rocks were lying on the ground just outside her window. She kept just inside for a few minutes more, watching the tree where the demon had been sitting. Again the clouds parted, and she saw that he was gone.  
  
"It's too cold for you to be out at this time."  
  
Yoshiko started. He was standing in the shadows, almost hidden from sight. Only his golden eyes were shining in the darkness.   
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	3. Union of Souls Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE  
  
Yoshiko drew back, clutching at the window. The looming figure didn't move. He just kept staring at her, with his silver hair blown over his face and his armor glinting on the faint light. In the dark, he looked even more formidable than he had in the forest that morning.  
  
"What do you want?" Yoshiko managed to whisper. "Why are you following me?"  
  
The demon watched her for a moment longer. "I wanted to know why you ran," he said calmly.  
  
"I... I was... I was frightened."  
  
"Hm." The demon made a sort of faint growling noise; Yoshiko felt goosebumps rising on her skin. It took her a moment to realize that the demon was chuckling. "There is another reason I came here tonight."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"You are very beautiful."  
  
Yoshiko felt her face flush in the darkness, both with embarrassment and anger. The demon must have somehow seen it, for he added, "I did not come for anything more than your company, princess. Your honor will remain unsmirched by me."  
  
A cold wind blew through the garden, making Yoshiko shiver. Before she could ask the demon to go away, she felt him sweep her under a flowing cloak and whisk her inside. When she opened her eyes, she saw him standing at the window, with one hand closing the screen. Yoshiko saw for the first time that his fingers were clawed, like an animal's. But there was nothing beastlike about his behavior.  
  
"On nights like this," the demon was saying calmly, "you should not be out in just an undergown."  
  
Yoshiko blushed again, though she wasn't sure why.   
  
With the screen closed, the demon slowly knelt down facing Yoshiko. He still looked fearsome, tall and looming, with spiked armor over his chest and shoulders. But startlingly, his face no longer looked quite as... well, as menacing. It was still strange and shadowed, but Yoshiko was no longer terrified just by the sight of him.  
  
"Do you fear me still, princess?" the demon asked in a low voice.  
  
"I... don't think so," Yoshiko said.  
  
He smiled a little. "That is just as well. I would not have you fear me."  
  
He knelt down on the floor, and Yoshiko realized with dismay that he didn't intend to leave. Trying to maintain some semblance of dignity, she knelt down facing him, read to shriek if he tried to hurt her. But to her surprise, he did nothing at all, except glance around her room.  
  
"Tell me," the demon finally said. "Why do you fear demons?"  
  
Yoshiko repeated the things her brothers and sisters had told her, then hastily added, "Or so I have been told."  
  
The demon bowed his head and growled again. No, not growled -- laughed. "I see," he murmured. "Well, you have heard wrong, princess. I would not even think for a moment of harming you." A shadow seemed to pass over his face. "Although for some demons, you are correct. Some would destroy any humans they came across, be it for food or mere destruction. Perhaps you were right to be wary."  
  
Suddenly there were footsteps and flickers of candlelight outside Yoshiko's door. For a moment she panicked, afraid of what would happen if this demon were found there. But she turned around, and found that the window screen had been pushed open. A chilly breeze wafted in.  
  
Yoshiko scrambled up and started to close the window again.  
  
But what she saw in the sky took her breath away. It was dark and starless, except for a pearly white moon. Something enormous seemed to run through the sky, outlined against the moon's pitted face...  
  
A dog, Yoshiko thought, pressing her hand to her mouth. So that's what he was...  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	4. Union of Souls Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR  
  
The whole evening had been bewildering for Yoshiko. In the morning, she wondered if she had dreamed it all -- the demon, his strange appearance in her room, and Aziko's sudden interruption. Could it all have been a dream? she wondered, looking out the window. It all seemed ridiculous in the light of day.  
  
She drifted out in a mild daze, wondering... thinking...  
  
At times she spoke to her mother, her sisters, her younger brother. But Yoshiko couldn't keep her mind on them. Her thoughts kept returning to the demon the night before. It was strange -- he still scared her, with his unblinking yellow eyes and those claws. Gradually, she pushed him out of her thoughts and went back to the world around her.  
  
That afternoon, Yoshiko sat in the garden under a magnolia tree. Her sisters Aziko and Tamayo were sitting by a little stream, dropping the white petals into it and giggling together. Yoshiko wasn't interested in the odd gossip that her sisters were so fond of, so she just stared off into the trees.  
  
Samadu had left a sprig of flowers by her food that morning. He seems to be getting less and less interested in Aziko, she thought. She'll be really upset when she finds out. But how can I dissuade poor Samadu without making him too unhappy? I don't want him to be miserable...  
  
Suddenly the word "demon" caught her ear. "What?" she said, sitting up.  
  
"I said that some goatherd girl was found in a cave with a demon," Aziko said brightly. "Everyone knows about it now."  
  
"A demon? What demon?"  
  
"Oh, who knows? Not a very powerful one, I think. They say he vanished when they were found together."  
  
"What did they say he looked like?" Yoshiko pressed.  
  
"Well, they didn't get a good look at him, but he had horns or something. And grey skin." Aziko pursed her lips.   
  
"I hate just THINKING about demons," Tamayo said, shivering.   
  
Yoshiko retreated back into her thoughts. The golden-eyed demon had returned full-force to her mind. She looked down at the flower in her lap and started picking off the petals. "Did you hear anything odd.... sometime during the night?" she asked.  
  
"No, why?" Aziko asked.  
  
"Oh, no reason," Yoshiko said vaguely.   
  
She felt a little guilty about lying to Aziko. But there really wasn't any other choice. That afternoon, she wandered down to the stream, where Samadu was lightly plucking at a zither. She smoothed her kimonos and sat down lightly beside him. "Samadu," she said softly. "Do you know anything about demons?"  
  
"Demons?" Samadu said, frowning. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I heard something about a... a dog-demon, recently," Yoshiko said, trying to sound vague.   
  
"Well, there are some dog-demons, certainly. I have heard that they are very powerful, very intelligent -- not like those centipedes or insects," Samadu said thoughtfully. "There's one, from far to the west, who is said to be the most powerful demon alive. Some villages worship him, like a god, because they're afraid he will destroy them."  
  
Yoshiko's eyes widened.   
  
"Why do you ask?" Samadu asked. His fingers plucked at the strings.  
  
"No reason," Yoshiko said. She left before the youth could ask her anything more, or assume that her questions were an effort to make conversation. But her mind clung to the things he had said... and she wondered if the demon she had seen the night before was the one he had spoken of.  
  
As the sun set that evening, Yoshiko was sitting alone in her room, thinking. A stray breeze stirred her long black hair and silk robes. I wonder if he'll come back, she thought. Outside, the last reddish rays of the sun were being blotted out by the swaying trees.   
  
Probably I was wrong, she thought. He must have been a dream after all.  
  
She undressed alone, not waiting for her maid to come in. But as Yoshiko curled up under a blanket, she couldn't seem to fall asleep. What's wrong with me? she thought. Why am I acting this way, about someone who never existed in the first place?  
  
She started. Something had struck her window.   
  
Her heart pounding, Yoshiko crept over to the window. Outside, she could see a dark shape in the garden, sitting under the magnolia trees. A breeze stirred the leaves, sending blossoms swirling down over the figure's head. And a shaft of moonlight sifted through the shivering branches... and lit up the figure's hair with the glow of silver.  
  
Yoshiko crept back to her bed, where she had tucked a cloak under her blanket. Wrapping it around herself, she slipped out into the gardens.   
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	5. Union of Souls Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE  
  
Yoshiko's long black hair was blown back by the wind as she slowly walked toward the magnolia trees. It felt as if she were in a dream. But it wasn't a dream. She was walking through the moonlit gardens, with no one near but the silver-haired dog demon she had seen the night before. He was no dream.  
  
"I was wondering if you would come," the deep voice said.  
  
Yoshiko shivered. "I don't know why I did."  
  
The shape under the tree seemed to unfold, into the towering, man-like demon of the day before. He was still imposing, but somehow no longer quite as frightening, even though Yoshiko could not see his face. "Do you want me to go?" he rumbled.  
  
Yoshiko opened her mouth, then quickly shut it. A cold wind blew through the garden as she shook her head.   
  
The demon lord looked down at her with a strange expression on his face. Then he began to slowly stroll over the windswept garden. When Yoshiko did not move, he stopped and waited for her. Wrapping the cloak more tightly around herself, the girl moved to his side and slowly walked with him. Without a word he plucked a pale magnolia blossom from a branch, and held it out to her.  
  
Yoshiko hesitated, then carefully took it. His clawed fingers had somehow stopped frightening her; as he had said, he had given her no reason to fear him. She glanced up at him, saw him staring at her with those unblinking golden eyes, and quickly looked down at her feet. She could feel herself blushing.  
  
"Who was that young woman with you earlier?" the demon said suddenly.  
  
"Woman?" Yoshiko said. "Oh... you must mean my sister."  
  
"I saw another girl who called you 'sister.'" He paused. "How many do you have?"  
  
"Ah... including the girls my brothers have married?" Yoshiko said hesitantly.  
  
The demon smiled a little. "Never mind. I see you must have many." A slightly wistful look came into his eyes. "Tell me."  
  
"Tell you what?"  
  
"Tell me about your sisters."  
  
Yoshiko hesitated, then began to tell him little things about her family -- about Osiha's flirtatiousness, about Aziko's scheming for Samadu, Tamayo's dancing, about her sister-in-law's new baby. She also spoke about her brothers, and how she spent hours watching them fight with their swords when they didn't know she was watching. How she had to hide when watching, because her father had said that she and her sisters were not to have their sensibilities corrupted by rough swordplay.  
  
To her surprise, the demon listened with interest. Yoshiko couldn't imagine how the little things about her family could matter to him. But he was watching and listening intently. When she stopped speaking, he said, "Yes, go on."  
  
"I... can't think of anything more," Yoshiko said awkwardly.  
  
"It's not surprising. We have spent too long out here."  
  
The demon glanced up at the moon. Yoshiko was shocked to see how far it had risen. Had she spent so long walking out in the gardens with him? "I-I should go back inside before someone notices I'm gone," she stammered.  
  
"Yes, you should," the demon said calmly. "But I will return tomorrow, and repay you for this evening."  
  
Yoshiko shivered and huddled into her cloak.   
  
The demon leaped onto the edge of the courtyard wall, surprisingly light for such a large creature. As he started to jump back off, Yoshiko remembered what she had wanted to say to him. "Wait!" she cried, dashing over to the wall. "I wanted to know..."  
  
The demon paused and looked down at her. "Wanted to know what?"  
  
"I wanted to know your name," Yoshiko finished. She felt ashamed at her boldness, but she felt that she had to know. What was more, she felt that the demon wouldn't mind.  
  
He watched her for a moment more, then shifted so that he was standing on the edge of the thick wall. "There are few that know my name, Yoshiko, and even fewer who would dare to call me by it. It will suffice if you know that I am the great Dog-Demon of the west."  
  
Yoshiko caught her breath. So he was the demon Samadu had spoken to her about.  
  
But before she could say anything more, he added, "You had better go inside before someone notices that you are missing," and sprang off the edge of the wall. Yoshiko heard a loud whooshing sound; the wind blew as if something enormous had just run by. Then she slowly turned around and walked back to her open window.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	6. Union of Souls Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX  
  
He did return the next night.  
  
Yoshiko was waiting for him under the trees in the garden, wrapped in a cloak against the chilly night air. He bowed deeply and led her into the moonlit garden, where they walked and talked for awhile.  
  
They did the same nearly every night, as the moon rose and dwindled over the magnolia tree. Yoshiko came to look forward to it every night, speaking to him and listening to him in turn. Sometimes she spoke of the little everyday things about her family. And sometimes he told her tales so strange that she wondered if they could possibly be true -- stories of dragons, demons, of places far from there where wild creatures roamed. And occasionally, even about his son -- who was grown, he said. But he never said much more about his son; when she asked, he merely said that his son was not so friendly to humans as he.  
  
What was strangest was how those walks changed how she saw the Dog-Lord. The demon lord's growling laugh no longer made her shiver, but smile. She stopped staring at his silver hair and golden eyes. When he touched her hand, she no longer shrank away from the claws on his long fingers. From time to time, she even forgot he was a demon. She just saw him as he was.  
  
And every night, Yoshiko watched the enormous shape pass by the moon. Then she would slip out of her cloak and creep into her bed, exhausted.  
  
Her late hours had not gone unnoticed by her family. At first her sisters tittered that she must have a lover who was keeping her awake every night. Yoshiko just turned red -- "She blushes like a virgin! We must be wrong!" Aziko giggled -- and said that she definitely did not. But after a few weeks, her mother became concerned and insisted that Yoshiko spend more time resting, so that she would not become ill.  
  
That was fine with Yoshiko. She preferred to be alone in her room, painting little screens and napping to make up for the nighttime sleep she had lost. But her eyes kept straying to the window, to see how low in the sky the sun had crept.  
  
She thought more about the Dog-Lord as every day went by, and found herself looking forward to his arrival. She could only imagine how horrified her family would be if they knew she was meeting a demon at night -- one of the most powerful at that. But somehow she no longer cared. If she could keep seeing him, that would be enough.  
  
Sitting back, Yoshiko looked at the little paper screen she had been painting. She had covered it with her clumsy attempt at portraying something he had spoken to her of -- a place where the sky flashed a hundred colors at night. She had spent hours trying to get the colors just right, and this was as good as it would ever be. Light swathes of color covered a painted night sky, and she had dabbed in a half-moon just so it would be clear what it was. Underneath, she had carefully painted a spiky mountain range and a spattering of trees.  
  
I'll show it to him tonight, she decided.   
  
Yoshiko doubted that the screen even approached the real thing, but she hoped that he liked it. As she thought of him smiling, her heart clenched tightly in her chest.  
  
Why am I thinking this way? she thought suddenly. She quickly set the screen down so she would not crumple it.   
  
The golden sun was dipping low in the sky when Yoshiko pulled the cloak from out of her bedding.   
  
Suddenly the door opened. She thrust the cloak back under the blankets.  
  
"Yoshiko," her mother said, bustling in.   
  
Yoshiko bowed. "Mother? What is it?"  
  
"I was wondering if you were well enough tonight to accompany us to the evening meal. There is a very important guest here tonight."  
  
It had the words of a concerned question, but Yoshiko knew it was a veiled order. She murmured that she was well enough. Her mother nodded, then noticed the painted screen sitting on the floor. "What is that?" she asked.  
  
"Nothing!" Yoshiko tried to grab it, but her mother caught it up first. The older woman studied the strange picture for a moment, then sighed. "Fanciful sketches." She handed the screen back to Yoshiko. "Perhaps you have spent too much time indoors."  
  
Yoshiko spent the evening picking restlessly at her food. The guest was some noble she had never heard of -- fat and ugly, like a toad. Yoshiko knew that he was there to assess possible brides, and so she tried to make herself as small and unnoticeable as possible. She caught herself comparing that toad-like man to the Dog-Lord, and finding him lacking in every way.  
  
Finally she begged to retire, and her father allowed her. Yoshiko slipped as silently as a shadow back to her room. She put on her cloak, lit a candle, and curled up by the window to wait. She didn't have to wait long -- a cold wind blew over the gardens, and a tall shape landed lightly by the garden gate.  
  
Yoshiko smiled and went to him.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	7. Union of Souls Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN  
  
The moon over them had thinned to a mere sliver, but it cast enough light for Yoshiko to see the smile on the demon's face. The breeze was stirring his silver hair around his pale face, and the cloak he had wrapped around him. As she walked to him, he held out an arm and pulled her closer, as if to shield her from the wind.   
  
They walked in silence for awhile. Then Yoshiko said softly, "I wondered if you weren't coming tonight."  
  
"There may be nights when I cannot come," the Dog-Lord said quietly. "But it will not be because I chose not to."  
  
Somehow that assurance warmed her. Yoshiko smiled slightly.  
  
"I saw horses that were not your father's," the demon said slowly. "Who was it?"  
  
"A wealthy, powerful lord searching for a bride," Yoshiko said.  
  
It might have been her imagination, but she thought she felt the clawed hand on her shoulder grow tighter. "I see..." the Dog-Lord said in a carefully neutral tone.  
  
"I left as soon as possible," Yoshiko added.  
  
"Then you are not interested in him," the Dog-Lord said in that same flat tone.  
  
"Of course not!"  
  
He looked down at her, with his shadowed face shifting to a look of puzzlement. "Of course? Is it so obvious?" he asked.  
  
Yoshiko changed the subject. "I have something to show you." She clutched at his hand and pulled him over to her window. She had left the little painted screen folded against the wall, behind a larger screen, where no one would notice it unless they chose to look. Her heart was fluttering as she pulled it out and handed it to him.  
  
For a moment, the Dog-Lord stared intently at the painting. He said nothing.  
  
"I-I know it isn't very good," Yoshiko said softly.   
  
"The colors," the demon said, tracing a finger over the swirled sky. "You painted this?"  
  
"Yes. I... remembered what you told me about how the sky glows in colors somewhere else," Yoshiko said, brushing her fingers over the painted skies. "I haven't seen any such things... but I thought that perhaps this was a little like what you described."  
  
"I inspired this," the Dog-Lord said slowly, as if trying to accept it.  
  
His lack of expression was making Yoshiko nervous. Was he insulted by her attempt at capturing the heart of one of his stories? Then he began to smile. The single sputtering candle didn't light up his face enough for Yoshiko to see it, but somehow she knew that the demon was smiling.   
  
"You did well," the Dog-Lord said, carefully unfolding the screen to its full length. "Especially as you have never seen this." A faintly sad look came into his golden eyes. "But it is late now. Perhaps I should go." He set the screen down carefully and rose.  
  
But as he put his hand on the window, Yoshiko cried, "Wait!"  
  
The Dog-Lord paused, and looked back at her.  
  
Yoshiko felt herself flushing. "I... I wanted to ask you... not to go," she said softly. "I... want you... to stay with me."  
  
The Dog-Lord slowly turned to her, his eyes glowing in the faint light from her candle. Ashamed of her boldness, Yoshiko looked down at the floor, feeling her face growing even hotter. Then fingers tipped with pointed claws brushed her chin, and tilted her face until she was looking into the Dog-Lord's face. He was looking down with an expression she had glimsped once or twice, but never so strongly as now.  
  
"I will stay with you," the demon said softly.   
  
Yoshiko's breath caught. She closed her eyes as the Dog-Lord's lips touched hers, so softly that she could barely feel them. Then lingering, more intensely. Yoshiko kissed him back clumsily, feeling like a child compared to him. Finally he paused for breath, resting his cheek against the top of Yoshiko's head. She could feel his warm breath on her face.  
  
Slowly Yoshiko drew back, tugging at the spiked breastplace the Dog-Lord wore over his ornate robes. The demon watched her with half-closed eyes as she unfastened the armor, and let it fall with a clatter to the floor. Now nothing held them apart.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	8. Union of Souls Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT  
  
The flickering candle was the only light in the room. But it was more than enough.  
  
Yoshiko raised her head, letting her eyes drift open. She absently pushed her tangled hair away from her face. She could hear crickets chirping out in the streambeds. At her hearth, she could see the painted screen shimmering in front of the coals.  
  
Beside her, the Dog-Lord was lying on his side. A thin silk sheet was draped lightly over his body; he was so large that it barely covered him. His pale hair and face had been turned golden by the faint candlelight. He had been sleeping lightly for some time.   
  
It was odd. She had never noticed before how much older he was than she, with the faint lines on his roughened features, and the crinkling beside his golden eyes when he smiled down at her. He looked about the same age as her father -- perhaps fifty. But it was a curiosity for Yoshiko, not an obstacle. She didn't care how much older he was.  
  
Something inside her had bloomed over the past night. Yoshiko had felt it unfolding like a blossom over the many weeks she had known the Dog-Lord, listening to him speak, walking in the dark with him. In his arms, she felt safe and protected, as if this was where she was supposed to be, and she was only now where she had always belonged. She rested her head on his chest, idly twining strands of black and silver hair.  
  
Yoshiko knew that her older sisters had had lovers -- she had heard them giggling and talking about them in hushed whispers, behind closed doors. But she never had. Not until now. She rested her cheek against the Dog-Lord's bare chest, and sighed deeply.  
  
He stirred, waking from shallow dreams. "Yoshiko?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"It would be best if you slept," the demon murmured.   
  
"I can't sleep now."  
  
The Dog-Lord smiled slightly. He caressed her face with the tips of his claws. "Nor can I." He paused. "Are you happy, Yoshiko?"  
  
She nodded.   
  
The demon smiled and slipped an arm over her shoulders. "That is all I ask," he growled softly, playing with her hair.   
  
Yoshiko closed her eyes. She could hardly believe that she had ever feared the Dog-Lord.  
  
--  
  
Yoshiko woke with a start. The sun was streaming through the thin window, and birds were singing out in the gardens. Her sisters were somewhere near, giggling and talking secretively as they walked the paths under the trees.  
  
Clutching her covers to her chest, she glanced around the room. No one else was there. The space beside her in the futon was empty.  
  
Had she dreamed the entire past night? Yoshiko stared disbelievingly at the empty room, with its lamps and painted shades. She was alone. Had the demon ever truly been there... or had her mind been conjuring a vivid dream of him? It brought a blush to her face.  
  
The door slid open, and her maid bustled in. "Good morning, milady!" she said cheerfully.  
  
Yoshiko still felt too stunned to speak. She curled up under the silk sheet, remembering the previous night. No, it couldn't possibly have been a dream. She could still remember his scent, the cold armor that she had clumsily taken off him, the look in his eyes when she had asked him to stay. But her heart was fluttering with the fear that it was just that, that the Dog-Lord had never learned how she felt.  
  
Then she saw it. On the smooth wood floor was scratched a message: I WILL RETURN TONIGHT.  
  
Yoshiko smiled slightly. Then she carefully pulled her cloak over the scratched message. And I will wait for you, she thought.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	9. Union of Souls Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE  
  
"Yoshiko!"  
  
Samadu's voice broke through Yoshiko's thoughts. She turned around to see the young man walking quickly toward her, an eager expression on his handsome face. She felt a pang in her heart. He had no idea...  
  
"I had been hoping to speak with you," Samadu said.  
  
"About what?" Yoshiko clasped her hands inside her wide sleeves.  
  
"Your mother told me that you weren't well," Samadu said. A little flush came to his face, making him look even younger than he was. "I wished to see if you were feeling any better."  
  
"I am, thank you," Yoshiko said, smiling a little shyly.  
  
Her smile seemed to drive away Samadu's voice. He stared down at his feet and mumbled for a moment, before finally saying, "I-I-I wanted to make sure everything was well with you. If you have need of anything, don't hesitate to tell me. I will do anything you want."  
  
Yoshiko thanked him for his consideration, and left him flushed and pleased by her response. She had tried to keep it as formal as possible; she didn't want to raise his hopes, only to dash them. In a way, she felt sorry for Samadu. He didn't know that Yoshiko loved someone else.  
  
He was nice enough, she thought. He was kind and considerate. But beside the Dog-Lord he seemed... well, rather bland.  
  
Her mind went back to the previous night, and her heart sped up at the memory of how he had looked at her when she first asked him to stay. And of course, the memories of what had happened after that. Yoshiko stopped and pressed a fist to her chest, thinking of the message he had left on her floor. She had scratched it out with a small rock from the garden, but she still remembered the words.  
  
Yoshiko drifted through the rest of the day, smiling at nothing in particular. She absently tore up the flowers she had been arranging, whispered to empty rooms, and stared out the window at the trees swaying in the wind. Her sisters whispered about her in corners, watching their sister sitting alone and lost in thought.  
  
Young Lord Samadu watched her from doorways. Though he wasn't exactly sure why Yoshiko was so distracted, he felt excited at the idea that she might share his feelings. He smiled softly in the shadows and slipped away, determined to give her plenty of time to think.  
  
Yoshiko was thinking of little except the Dog-Lord and their meeting that evening. She hardly ate anything, which only made her mother and maid more upset and worried. Perhaps even more frustrating to Lady Amako, who tried to tell her daughter, "I worry for your health, Yoshiko, and if you don't eat you will NEVER have any strength-"  
  
"Yes, Mother," Yoshiko said mechanically.   
  
Amako tried to reach her daughter, but only met with more frustration. "I swear by all the gods, that girl is bewitched!" she cried as she left.  
  
In a way, Yoshiko thought.  
  
The sun had nearly set when she returned to her bedroom, filling the gardens with golden light. Yoshiko studied her reflection critically in the garden pond. She wasn't sure what the Dog-Lord considered beautiful. Did he think she was pretty? I know that human men think so, she thought, but I don't know what a demon would consider pretty....  
  
She stayed in the garden, tossing crumbs to the fish in the pond. The light faded away, and the lamps began to wink out behind the thin screens of the palace. The crickets were singing again. Yoshiko looked up worriedly at the sky. Where is he? she thought. He said that he would come back...  
  
But as Yoshiko looked down into the rippling water, she saw a tall figure appear behind her -- a figure with silver hair. She rose and ran to her demon lover's outstretched arms.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	10. Union of Souls Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN  
  
The Dog-Lord stretched out under the thin covers, careful not to disturb the slumbering girl beside him. A faint crack came from his claws as he stretched his arms over his head, then slumped back with his eyes half-closed. His powerful heart was still pounding.  
  
He shifted onto his side and watched Yoshiko. She was smiling softly in her sleep. Her skin glowed golden in the firelight; her long black hair covered her body like a second blanket. The Dog-Lord gently flicked it away from her face. He wanted to see her.  
  
A few weeks before, it would have seemed bizarre to him that a human girl could have snared his heart so completely. But on the day when she had fled from him, something had lured him to the palace to watch her. He had first begun to fall in love when she had knelt opposite him, watching him with wide eyes but not showing any signs of fear.  
  
Even so, he had assumed that Yoshiko could not possibly share his feelings. After all, she had been terrified of him at first. So he had been willing to merely walk in the gardens with her, listening to her speak of little everyday things. And when he told her stories of what he had seen, she had listened to every word.   
  
Then she had asked him to stay with her. The Dog-Lord had every intention of doing so.  
  
Yoshiko slowly opened her eyes. "Are you still awake?" she murmured.  
  
"I am," the Dog-Lord said, drawing her close to him. "Tell me... have you told anyone in this place about me?"  
  
"No, of course not. They would never let me see you again if I did."  
  
"Probably not." The Dog-Lord sighed. "There is no demon who would dare stop me."  
  
"You're lucky." Yoshiko snuggled against him.  
  
"Not luck. Power." The Dog-Lord studied his beloved's face in the firelight. In some ways, she was so very young. So sheltered.  
  
Yoshiko woke up at dawn. The Dog-Lord was standing by her window, fastening his breastplate back over his chest. He looked every inch the fearsome demon lord again. "You'll be back tonight, won't you?" she asked.  
  
"Of course I will." The demon smiled slightly. "But if I do not leave now, your servants will see me."  
  
"If someone does see you, you won't... hurt them, will you?"  
  
The Dog-Lord thought for a moment. "If you don't want me to, I will not. They would not be able to harm me anyhow."  
  
He gazed for a moment longer at the girl wrapped in a silk sheet. But they could harm you, he thought, and that is something I could not allow.  
  
Yoshiko watched the Dog-Lord vanish over the wall. Then she settled back in her bed, waiting for sunrise.  
  
--   
  
They continued in that way for many days afterward. Some nights the Dog-Lord wasn't able to come. He told Yoshiko not to worry about him; if he didn't come, it meant that he was busy with something urgent, not that he had been harmed.   
  
But most nights he slipped into Yoshiko's room. They talked in whispers and strolled in the gardens under the moon. Sometimes they simply lay together, listening to the wind whispering through the screens.  
  
The arrangement wasn't perfect. Yoshiko was a little sleep-deprived; one day, she fell asleep during a rambling speech by a Buddhist cleric. Her mother was horribly embarrassed. And Yoshiko had the uncomfortable feeling that Samadu was getting even more interested in her. She kept trying to hint that Aziko was a better choice for him, but he persisted in wooing her.  
  
One night, it occurred to Yoshiko that she and the Dog-Lord had spent the customary three nights together. But she couldn't really imagine finishing off the tradition. Her parents wouldn't exactly be happy if she brought the Dog-Lord to greet them as their daughter's new husband. In fact, it might spark off a small war.   
  
We'll just have to keep it a secret, she thought as she fell asleep. Somehow...   
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	11. Union of Souls Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN  
  
The palace was half-carved into the mountain rock, half built on a sprawling plateau. Without the aid of a moderately powerful demon, no human could reach the palace, and no demon was stupid enough to creep up without some kind of invitation by the lord who lived there. Winds howled around the cavernous doorways, and mist crept over the rocky ground.  
  
A young demon was standing on the very edge of the precipice, his long silver hair whipped by the wind. He had a handsome, pallid face very like the Dog-Lord's, but smoother, colder and less battered by centuries of battle. Neither the wind nor the cold seemed to affect him.  
  
A silver shape raced across the sky, swooping down towards the young demon. He watched impassively as the monstrous dog seemed to glow and fold in on itself, then reappear as the Dog-Lord, on the edge of precipice, facing Sesshomaru. He was a little winded, but was smiling almost fiercely.  
  
"Father," Sesshomaru said, bowing slightly.   
  
"My son," the Dog-Lord said, walking past Sesshomaru with a slight smile. He gestured for his son to follow him.   
  
The younger demon silently followed his father, hiding his feelings behind a mask. "Those villagers have left more slaughtered oxen as a sacrifice at the foot of this mountain," he said finally.  
  
"More?" the Dog-Lord growled. "What do they think I am to do with so many dead cows?" He sighed. "Do with them what you will."  
  
Sesshomaru didn't speak again until they had come to his father's chambers. Draped in rich tapestries, with floors and ceilings carved out of the mountainside, it was much like the Dog-Lord himself -- hard and deceptively fine-looking. The demon lord settled himself into a chair made of carved centipede bones, and began reading a scroll he had left out the previous evening.  
  
"Is this truly wise, Father?" Sesshomaru finally said.  
  
"Is what wise?"  
  
"The human wench."  
  
"You mean Yoshiko," the Dog-Lord said.  
  
"I smell her scent all over you," Sesshomaru said coldly.   
  
From that scent, he could guess where his father had been, and what he had been doing with that human girl. In the past few months, the Dog-Lord had vanished almost every night. And every morning he reappeared, giving no explanation for his absence. But Sesshomaru could smell the scent of a human female on him. He had spoken to his father, and the Dog-Lord had stated that her name was Yoshiko, and that he had been spending his nights with the girl in secret.   
  
"Your point?" The Dog-Lord's voice began to sound slightly tense.  
  
"Who you share your bed with is no concern of mine," Sesshomaru said stiffly. "If you wish to mate with the girl, then that is not my affair."  
  
"Very true."  
  
"However, I will remain... concerned for your well-being." Sesshomaru was not pleased, but resigned himself to his father's folly. He was subordinate to his father's will, and if it pleased the Dog-Lord to pursue a mortal female, then unfortunately Sesshomaru could do nothing to interfere. "Merely remember who you are."  
  
"I am not such a creaking dotard that I require reminding of who I am," the Dog-Lord snapped. "I do as I please, Sesshomaru. Remember that."  
  
Sesshomaru bowed slightly, and seated himself on a bench near the window. But he found the whole idea repellent -- his mighty, terrifying father sneaking in to see a mere human girl. However, his father was given to whims -- like any powerful demon -- and so perhaps he would grow bored of the human girl and discard her.   
  
The Dog-Lord rolled up the scroll with a snap.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	12. Union of Souls Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE  
  
.  
  
Without opening her eyes, Yoshiko knew it was morning. She felt the Dog-Lord's arms slide around her torso, and he kissed her ear before slipping away. "I won't be able to return for a few days," he said quietly. "Just wait for me until then."  
  
She opened one eye just long enough to see the window slide shut with a whispering sound. Then she rolled over and sighed.  
  
But somehow she couldn't fall asleep again. She was tired -- she hadn't had much sleep the previous night -- but her body clung to a half-walking state. Finally she sat up and groggily slipped into her undergown, which had been left in a tangled heap the previous night.  
  
Another month had passed peacefully, and Yoshiko and the Dog-Lord had settled into a sort of routine. They were together almost every night, speaking in whispers and holding tightly to one another. It was the most perfect time that Yoshiko could imagine... but some part of her knew that it could not last as it was. It was only a bridge to something else.  
  
She wandered idly out into the half-empty corridors. The servants were running to and fro with clothing, jars of water and bales of rice; they quickly bowed to her before continuing on their errands. Yoshiko paused and glanced at her reflection in a mirror. With her rumpled undergown and tangled hair, she hardly looked like a princess.   
  
Smoothing her dark hair, Yoshiko paused as the smell of food cooking wafted from the kitchens. Then she wrinkled her nose; whatever the cooks were making smelled revolting. I'll have to talk to Father about that, she thought. She pressed her hands to her nose and breathed shallowly, but she could still feel her stomach churning.  
  
She hadn't been feeling well for the past few days, although she usually felt well by the time the Demon-Lord came. It wasn't so much sick as... strange. As if she were just a little off-center.   
  
"... I saw it, and then it just vanished. I was too terrified to move."  
  
Aziko's loud voice pierced the quiet hallway. Yoshiko stopped, listening. Her heart began to beat faster.  
  
"Are you sure?" Samadu's quiet voice said.  
  
"Don't be stupid!" Aziko scoffed. "What mortal could jump over that garden wall? It's as high as two and a half standing on top of each other!"  
  
"What was it, exactly?"  
  
"I didn't see it clearly." Aziko sounded annoyed. "But when I tried looking, I could only see that it looked a little like a human, except no human could do those things. Ugh, I get shivery when I just think about it! How horrible!"  
  
They're talking about him! Yoshiko thought, barely daring to breathe. She saw him last night! If she saw him come into my room...  
  
"I'll tell father about it when I can," Aziko said. "I just wish I knew what he was doing in our garden!"  
  
"Maybe you dreamed it," Samadu suggested. "After all, most demons shaped like humans don't come anywhere near places like these. Besides, why would he come in and then just vanish? The moon was probably playing tricks on your eyes."  
  
Yoshiko fervently thanked the gods for Samadu's response. She hurried away, still hearing Aziko's shrill protests that she HAD seen a demon, and it had NOT been the moonlight playing tricks. I need air! she thought desperately, hurrying out into the garden again. It was full of sunshine and cool breezes, and the muted scents of the flowers made her feel calmer and more relaxed.  
  
But the shock was making her feel queasy. Yoshiko went to the magnolia tree near the stream, and sat down, trying to think. At least he won't be back for a few days, she thought. If he doesn't come back tonight, or tomorrow, maybe Aziko won't know. But we will have to be more careful...  
  
Suddenly her stomach violently rebelled. Yoshiko barely made it to the stream before being sick.   
  
A moment later, she sat back on a rock, shaking and wiping her sweaty face with her silk sleeve. Then her eyes widened. "Oh no," she whispered, pressing her hands to her stomach.   
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	13. Union of Souls Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN  
  
.  
  
Yoshiko quickly glanced around the garden. But there was no one else there, except the half-deaf, half-blind gardener. And his tuneless humming hadn't even wavered while she was being sick. The girl got up and ran to her bedroom window, slamming it shut once she was inside. Then she sank to the floor, breathing hard and pressing her hands to her face.  
  
A baby? The thought made her feel queasy all over again.  
  
Hours passed in silence, except for her soft footsteps. Yoshiko paced through the room, thinking of how her life had just changed in an instant. She wasn't entirely sure that she was pregnant. But some sixth sense told her that she was. And besides, the two of them had been together nearly every night over the past few months.  
  
Would he be angry? she wondered. Of course, the Dog-Lord had done his part as well. But they had never spoken about the possibility of children, because of the strange arrangement they had found themselves in. And now she wondered if the demon lord would be angry when he learned the news. The thought of him being angry with her was more frightening than the thought of her entire family learning the truth.  
  
Yoshiko dropped down on her bed. Fear was threading through her now -- what would happen when her family knew? It would be a disgrace enough if they learned that she was pregnant and apparently unwed; none of them knew of her marriage to the Dog-Lord. Not that that would help matters. If they found out, they would think it was worse than being unwed.  
  
And even then... what would her father and mother do when her baby was born? She had never actually seen a halfbreed child, but they were always painted as unnatural monsters. Of course, she amended, the Dog-Lord was considered a fiend or a god by most humans who knew about him. And she knew he was neither. And her child wouldn't be a monster.  
  
When my family learns about what my baby is, they'll kill it. I just know it, Yoshiko thought, wiping her eyes. But I can't let them...  
  
Her hands strayed down to her stomach. If she had to, she would run away -- where to, she didn't know. But she would somehow keep her little half-demon baby safe.  
  
.   
  
A tapping at the door broke through her anguished thoughts. "Yoshiko?" Amako's voice called.  
  
Yoshiko quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. "Yes, Mother?"  
  
Amako swept in. "Still abed? Your sisters have been awake for hours."  
  
"I'm not feeling well," Yoshiko said truthfully.   
  
Amako sat down by her daughter's side and smoothed her tangled hair. It was a surprisingly tender gesture, from a woman who prided herself on her lofty dignity. "Such a child, and such a woman already. Ah, time flies, Yoshiko -- it's hard to think of you as being ready for marriage already."  
  
Yoshiko stared at her mother blankly. "Marriage?"  
  
"Yes, marriage," Amako said.   
  
"Ready for MARRIAGE?" Yoshiko repeated again.  
  
"Are you going to imitate everything I say?" Amako said peevishly. She sighed deeply. "After all, one of your younger sisters is already betrothed -- and she hasn't your beauty or sweetness either. Not to mention that many young princes and lords would want a wife as nobly-born as you, Yoshiko."  
  
Yoshiko suddenly wanted to be sick again. But if her mother noticed, she didn't give any sign of it.   
  
Amako continued, "After all, in a few years you will have left your first youth behind you -- and that is always the best time to be married, because then your husband will always remember how fresh and sweet you once were." She stroked Yoshiko's long hair again. "Now, there's no need to look so worried, child. We'll make sure that you're given to the right man."  
  
But I can't, Yoshiko thought desperately. I already am someone's wife!  
  
"What about that man who visited the other night?" Amako asked.  
  
"No!" Yoshiko said quickly.  
  
"Quite right. He already has at least one other wife, and no daughter of mine will be a mere second wife." Amako's eyes narrowed. "And what do you think of young Samadu?"  
  
"He-he seems very nice," Yoshiko said lamely.  
  
"So he does." Amako stood and rearranged her layered kimonos. "He's already spoken to your father -- you should get to know him better before any final decisions are made."  
  
"What?" Yoshiko said, shocked. But before she could protest, her mother swept out of the room again.  
  
Stunned, Yoshiko sat down on the edge of her futon, and covered her face. How am I going to get out of this? she thought.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	14. Union of Souls Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN  
  
.  
  
The next few days were horrible.  
  
Yoshiko barely slept that night, tormented by her mother's conniving, and fears about what the Dog-Lord would say when he saw her next. She wished he hadn't left for more than a day; she longed to be held by him, wanted to hear his rumbling voice. With every sound in the garden, she sat up, half-expecting to see him slip in the window.  
  
But he didn't come. Yoshiko spent most of the night rehearsing what she was going to say to him when they next met. Those three pieces of frightening news gnawed away at her through the night, like hungry squirrels. Worst of all, she didn't know how he was going to respond to any of it. And she threw up several times, but managed to keep her queasiness hidden.  
  
Aziko's insistence that she had seen a demon led to their father posting guards all through the next two nights. But no one appeared. The lord said sternly, "You should keep your dreams to yourself, Aziko. Clearly there is no demon. You must have imagined it." And despite Aziko's shrill denials, he sent the guards back to their usual duties. Yoshiko was relieved by the news. She knew that the Dog-Lord could surely defend himself -- but she didn't want her friends and family to be harmed in any way, if they chose to attack him.  
  
The day after the Dog-Lord's departure, Yoshiko forced herself to put on a show of normality. She painted more screens in the garden, listened to Samadu play the zither, and sat amongst her giggling sisters. Apparently Amako had told them about her talk with Yoshiko, because they teased her relentlessly.  
  
Yoshiko just flushed, and did not look at Samadu. The young man kept glancing hopefully at her. But the only face she wanted to see was that of her beloved. Tomorrow, she kept thinking. Tomorrow I'll see him again at last... and we can find some way to fix all these problems. Inside her kimonos, her hand strayed to her stomach.  
  
As she was leaving, she heard Samadu call, "Yoshiko, wait!"  
  
She turned around. "Yes?"  
  
The young man was still clutching the zither. He looked worried. "Yoshiko... are you angry with me?"  
  
Yoshiko blinked. "Angry? Why do you ask?"  
  
"You scowled as if you were angry, the entire time I played. I... feared that I might have upset you in some way." Samadu glanced away briefly, as if he couldn't meet her eyes.  
  
Yoshiko felt her heart go out to him. She did not love him, but he was a kind young man, and he clearly thought that she was somehow punishing him for their betrothal. It wasn't his fault that she had fallen in love with someone else, and was carrying a demon's child. "No, I was not angry with you," she said gently. "I was thinking of something unpleasant, but it has nothing to do with you."  
  
Pleased, Samadu asked, "Would you care to come with me, and walk in the gardens?"  
  
"I ask you to forgive me, but I am not feeling well," Yoshiko said. It wasn't a lie; if she didn't get away from the discarded sashimi someone had left nearby, she was going to be sick again. Samadu said that he hoped she felt better soon, and walked lightly away.  
  
That night, as she lay in her bed, she watched the candle flicker near her head. And she thought of the golden light it cast on the Dog-Lord's pallid hair and skin, and how it had illuminated them as, in his arms, she had given and received more love than she had ever thought she could know.  
  
.  
  
Where are you? Yoshiko thought. Her thin sandal caught on a tree root, almost tripping her. But she kept running through the woods regardless.  
  
The sun was starting to set in the west, and a thin sliver of the moon was showing over the mountains. She was heading for the setting sun. The Dog-Lord would be coming from that direction, and she had to see him before he arrived at her home. She had to tell him everything.  
  
Suddenly she saw him, striding down one of the mountain paths. The Dog-Lord stopped when he saw her. "Yoshiko?" he said.  
  
Yoshiko stopped. "M-my lord," she said softly.   
  
"What's wrong?" the demon said, coming toward her. "What's happened?"   
  
To her shame, Yoshiko felt tears pouring from her eyes. The Dog-Lord stiffened, looking around the clearing. "Yoshiko," he said slowly. "Tell me what is wrong. And who is to blame."  
  
"It's... it's not like that."  
  
"Then what?"  
  
"I... I found that I... I'm..." She pointed at her stomach.  
  
The Dog-Lord stared at her blankly. Then he stepped closer and rested his large hands on her shoulders. "A baby?" he asked in a low voice.  
  
Yoshiko nodded.  
  
A familiar growl rose up in the Dog-Lord's chest. A broad smile slowly spread over his face, and before Yoshiko could speak again, he kissed her. "A baby, hmm?" he murmured, nuzzling at her cheek.   
  
"You're not upset?" Yoshiko asked.  
  
"Why would I be upset?" the Dog-Lord asked, startled.   
  
"I just... I thought that you might not be happy..."  
  
He chuckled again, lifting Yoshiko's small form into his arms and holding her tightly. "Why would be I be anything but happy at this news? A father again..." A tenderer look came into his golden eyes. He stroked some of Yoshiko's dark hair away. "And I'm glad. Glad it's with you."   
  
"So am I," Yoshiko said softly.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	15. Union of Souls Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN  
  
.  
  
Yoshiko quickly slipped back into her family's palace, leaving the Dog-Lord to follow when it got dark. She felt depressed and lonely -- and queasy -- once she was in her room once more, having her hair combed by her dutiful maid. She wanted him there beside her, and the brief meeting in the woods had only made her long for his presence more.   
  
Even then, she wondered what he could do. She knew that he would not let her and the baby come to harm. But... what would he do? What would they both do? The only choices made tears come to her eyes, and brought a pain to her heart.  
  
"Ow!" Yoshiko squeaked suddenly.  
  
"I'm sorry, milady," her maid said quickly. "I was combing a little too quickly... forgive me."  
  
"Never mind," Yoshiko said, poking at the sore spot on her head. "Just go now; I won't have any need of you for the rest of the night. I want to be by myself for awhile."  
  
The maid bowed and began putting the combs away. "Begging your pardon, my lady... but..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Is there a reason why you don't want me around?"  
  
Yoshiko felt her sensitive stomach twisting. "Such as what?"  
  
The maid said coyly, "I was wondering if you were planning to have young Lord Samadu around, and didn't want-"  
  
"You forget yourself!" Yoshiko snapped. "Go now!"  
  
The maid scurried out. Yoshiko immediately wished she hadn't shouted at the girl. Now it would be servants' gossip that she and Samadu were enjoying secret rendezvous in her room. It certainly wouldn't bother her parents -- they thought that she and Samadu were going to be wed anyway, and they hadn't made any fuss when her sisters had sneaked lovers -- most were now their husbands -- into their rooms. But Yoshiko wished that the rumors wouldn't go on anyway.  
  
Yoshiko spent the waning hours of the day alone, stroking her still-flat stomach and thinking. She was still lost in thought when the window slid open, and a towering figure stepped inside. "I missed you," a deep voice growled, as the Dog-Lord enfolded her in his embrace.   
  
Despite her dark mood, Yoshiko smiled as the Dog-Lord playfully nipped her lips. He languidly stretched out on his back, with her still in his arms. For a while, that moonlit evening, there would be no more worries for either of them.  
  
.  
  
"I don't know what to do," Yoshiko whispered.   
  
"Hmm," the Dog-Lord murmured drowsily. He was stretched out behind his beloved, with his large hands pressed against her stomach and her head pillowed against his neck.  
  
Yoshiko rolled onto her stomach and stared at him. "I'm afraid," she whispered.  
  
That got the Dog-Lord's attention. "What of?"  
  
"I'm... worried about having the baby."  
  
"What is there to worry about?" the Dog-Lord said blithely. He seemed too delighted over the prospect of being a father to pay much attention to the possible problems.  
  
Yoshiko started to answer -- and clapped a hand over her mouth. Staggering out of the bed, she managed to make it to the window. The Dog-Lord watched her, concerned and a little perturbed. Yoshiko staggered back a few minutes later, sweaty and shaking, and collapsed gratefully into her beloved's arms.  
  
"What worries you?" the Dog-Lord said more soberly.  
  
"Our baby. He's -- he's only a half-demon, and only half-human."  
  
"It would be strange if it weren't. But I care nothing for that," the Dog-Lord said firmly. "Its mother is human, isn't she? And yet," his voice softened, "so as I love its mother, I will also love our son... or daughter... regardless of how human it is."  
  
Yoshiko was too stunned, too thrilled to speak. He had never said before that he loved her. But she could not doubt the tenderness she saw in his eyes, heard in his voice.  
  
"There's something else," she finally whispered.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"My... my mother is trying to arrange a marriage for me."  
  
The Dog-Lord's face froze. "Marriage," he said in a low, dangerous voice. "I will kill the man who touches you, as anything but a sister." He paused. "Who is this man?"  
  
"A young lord who was supposed to be wooing my sister. I've known him for many months, since before I met you." Yoshiko felt the Dog-Lord's entire body stiffen beside her. She quickly added, "But I have never felt anything but... sisterly affection for him. I never gave him any cause to love me, but he... he did anyhow."  
  
"That I can understand," the Dog-Lord conceded gruffly.  
  
"And now my parents want me to marry him," Yoshiko continued in a rush. "But I - unless I give a good reason why I don't want to marry him, they will make me."  
  
"The baby," the Dog-Lord said ominously. "Do they think it is his?"  
  
"They don't know. I haven't told anyone," Yoshiko said. "But when they do find out... Samadu will know that it isn't his. And when the baby is born, they'll see it and know that it was a demon... the baby couldn't possibly look look like a human, could it?"  
  
"No chance at all. I have seen many halfbreeds; some were more human than demon in appearance, but none ever could pass for human."  
  
"Then... they would kill the baby once they saw it was part demon," Yoshiko whispered.  
  
"Then you must leave here," the Dog-Lord said slowly. "They would probably kill our child, that is true. And even if they were frightened enough of me to let it live, it would always live as an outcast, an outsider. But among demons... among demons, I have power and influence enough that no one would dare mistreat our child. If you come away with me, you and the child will be safe and protected so long as I live..."  
  
Yoshiko's breath caught.   
  
Sadness crept into his deep voice. "There is one other way. I could take you from this place for several months, but not forever. Once the child is born, I could return you near here, to claim that you were abducted by a demon yet managed to escape." He tilted her face up to look at him. "Do you wish that?"  
  
Yoshiko felt tears come to her eyes. He was willing to let her go, if it made her happy. "I would not wish it, because it would mean that I couldn't see you... or our baby. I want that more than anything." Tears came to her eyes. "I will come with you."  
  
The Dog-Lord's body relaxed slightly. "We will leave before the sunrise," he whispered.  
  
"No!" Yoshiko said quickly. "I mean.... I can't simply disappear. I... I can't stay with my family, but I don't want them to never know what has happened to me. They should know what I have decided."  
  
"I see," the Dog-Lord said pensively. He stroked Yoshiko's hair, as if it helped him think. Finally he said, "I will go before the sunrise, and leave you here for a few weeks, perhaps a month and a half at most. I must use the time to get things ready for you and our son... or daughter. Don't worry; you will not be alone while I am away. I will leave a demon vassal of mine with you at all times. If anything should go wrong, then he will get me and I will come for you."  
  
Yoshiko nodded. "Just come back to us soon," she said softly.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	16. Union of Souls Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN  
  
.  
  
The Dog-Lord lay watching the first light in the sky. The sun would be rising soon, and he would have to leave Yoshiko for the following weeks. He wasn't pleased by the idea of leaving her all but alone in this place, where she and the baby both would be in danger every waking moment. But centuries of experience had taught him when to be patient, and allow what had to be done to work itself out.  
  
He glanced at Yoshiko's peaceful face, thinking of how long it would be until he saw her again. She is remarkable, he thought.   
  
Except for the fear when she had first seen him in the woods, she had been remarkably brave as they got to know one another. One night, she had told him drowsily that she had seen him run across the sky in dog form -- and her response had been one of wonder, not apprehension.   
  
He still remembered her expression when she had asked him to stay with her. That night, wrapped in his embrace, the Dog-Lord had let her glimpse the fullness of his power... and still, she hadn't been afraid. She is braver than she knows herself, he thought. And she will need it for what lies ahead.  
  
Even though he knew that it would make things immeasurably harder for all of them, the Dog-Lord felt delighted by the news that he was going to be a father again. He hadn't known if he and Yoshiko could have children, since he was rather past his prime. But apparently not that far past.  
  
With a groan, the demon crept out of the too-small bed, and began to dress himself. Then he knelt down by Yoshiko's side, caressed her face, and then vanished out the window.   
  
.  
  
"Do you understand me?" the Dog-Lord asked his vassal sternly.  
  
"Yes, milord," Myoga said, bowing deeply from where he was standing on his master's thumb.  
  
"You are to stay at Yoshiko's side at all times, not leaving her unless she orders you to do so -- and even then, stay near." His golden eyes narrowed. "If they learn that she's going to have a child, or if that wretched whelp tries to wed her, then you will come to me immediately, and I will come to fetch her."  
  
"I will obey you to the letter, sire."  
  
The Dog-Lord frowned. "And I don't want you becoming frightened and running away."  
  
"Milord, how could you think that of me?" Myoga said pitifully. "I would never-"  
  
"Since last month," the Dog-Lord said bitingly. "Simply stay with her, help her keep the child a secret, and you will have no cause for fear."  
  
Myoga swallowed his pride and bowed again, then jumped off the enormous demon's hand. With a low growl, the Dog-Lord transformed into his other form and raced across the dawn sky. As he traversed the mountains, he wondered what Sesshomaru would have to say when he learned the news. It wouldn't make a difference to his father's plans, but the Dog-Lord was not looking forward to it anyway.  
  
The sun was over the trees when the Dog-Lord landed on the flat plateau outside the cliffside palace. He transformed back, and looked around for any sign of Sesshomaru. Nothing. Well, I'm early, he thought, walking briskly along the plateau. Undoubtedly he does not expect me back for another hour or two.  
  
When he came into his chambers, he found Sesshomaru standing by the window. He had several scrolls in front of him, some unrolled. The younger demon said quietly, "Father. You returned early."  
  
"I have something to tell you," the Dog-Lord said bluntly. "She's pregnant."  
  
His son's smooth, cold face didn't change expression. The only sign that he was surprised was that his eyes widened slightly. He watched the Dog-Lord sit at the window, looking out over the valley below. "And she tells you that it is yours," the younger demon said.  
  
His father glared at him. "I know it is."  
  
"And so, what do you plan to do next?" Sesshomaru said in a low voice.  
  
"What do you think I would do?" the Dog-Lord said impatiently. "I'm bringing her here, once I have everything ready." He slowly looked at Sesshomaru. "And I want you to remember at all times that you will not cause harm or distress to her, or to my younger child."  
  
Sesshomaru just stared at the older demon, as if he no longer recognized his own father. "As you wish, Father," he said.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	17. Union of Souls Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN  
  
.  
  
The next morning, Yoshiko felt vaguely depressed, lonely. And sick. Her memories of the past night were a little blurred, but she remembered the Dog-Lord saying that he would be away for some time, then return for her and the child. For good.  
  
Yoshiko sighed heavily and rubbed her stomach. "We don't have any choice, do we?" she whispered.  
  
After being dressed and having her hair dressed, Yoshiko followed her mother and sisters out into the garden. She tried to listen attentively to the gossip and chatter, but it all seemed very shallow somehow. Instead she played with her young nephew, who was wobbling around on fat baby legs. She smiled as he grinned at her, displaying two very small teeth.   
  
And it made her wonder: What would her baby look like, when it was born? Would it look more like a human, or a demon? She knew that it apparently couldn't look entirely human, but what about it would look demonic? The Dog-Lord himself looked almost human, aside from his exotic coloring, claws and fangs. Oh yes, and pointed ears.   
  
Yoshiko stole a glance at her mother. She wasn't sure exactly how long she could keep her pregnancy hidden. Her sickness was something that was hard to hide; and while her voluminous kimonos would hide her body, her maid might suspect something soon....  
  
Suddenly something stung her cheek. She slapped it. "Eyoww!" a faint voice wailed.  
  
Yoshiko gasped and caught the flattened insect. Quickly she rushed out of the garden and into a secluded path, that circled around a pond filled with fish. Then she dared to open her fingers. Inside was... a tiny little demon, with a fluff of grey hair and small, neat clothes. "Terribly sorry," the demon groaned. "But I just couldn't resist; I've been traveling since sunrise."  
  
"Who ARE you?" Yoshiko asked.  
  
The flea bowed to her. "I am Myoga the flea, milady. A humble vassal of the Dog-Lord. Early this morning he ordered me to keep an eye on you. And, of course, on milord's unborn second heir."  
  
"YOU'RE his vassal?" Yoshiko said dubiously.  
  
"Of course!" Myoga said cheerfully. "I have been his loyal servant for many, many years, and he highly values my service. Not to mention my knowledge; he values my opinion highly. And I must say, from what I have seen, my lord chose his lady well."  
  
Yoshiko blushed. "Er, what exactly are you here to do?" she asked.  
  
"I am here merely to make sure that nothing goes wrong." The flea sat down and folded his four tiny hands into his four tiny sleeves. "If anyone should find out about your, er, liaison, or your unborn child, or try to cause any trouble by wedding you to another, I shall fetch milord and he will come to your rescue."  
  
That made Yoshiko feel slightly better. Even if he was not actually there, the Dog-Lord's presence was still nearby. If she needed him, he would be there. Then something occurred to her. "How-how much do you know about our... liaison?" she asked slowly. "And... who does know?"  
  
"Aside from myself, not many," Myoga said. "Your husband told me everything I needed to know this very morning after he left. As for who knows... well, no humans know. And of the demons under milord, as far as I know he has only told his son, Lord Sesshomaru."  
  
"Sesshomaru?" Yoshiko repeated. The Dog-Lord had told her that he had a son, but he had never said much more about him.  
  
"Yes, he also knows," Myoga said soberly. "He's not particularly friendly to humans, from what I've heard. He's a full demon, unlike your own child, and maybe, oh, a little bit older than you are. Very cold, very ruthless, though obedient to his father's orders. Unfortunately, that won't stop him from disliking you. So you may have a difficult time with him, but not... well, not too terrible."  
  
Yoshiko was starting to feel queasy again. She didn't doubt the Dog-Lord's feelings for her, but she didn't like the idea of friction with his son. Especially if he didn't like humans. Especially if he was older than she was.  
  
Myoga apparently noticed this, and quickly said, "Well, anyway, milord ordered me to stay by your side at all times to make sure everything is all right, and to keep an eye on things. Don't notice me; you'll barely notice I'm here!" He leaped onto her shoulder.   
  
Yoshiko glanced down at the tiny flea, then fluffed a few locks of her hair to hide him. As she walked back out into the garden, she felt a little better. At least until the Dog-Lord returned, she wouldn't be completely on her own.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	18. Union of Souls Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN  
  
.  
  
The screens had been folded up, so that the mountain winds wafted in the windows. The Dog-Lord sat silently, looking down at the steep drop beneath him. Mist was swirling over the crags and ledges.  
  
He was glad that he had sent Myoga to look after Yoshiko. But he was still uneasy about leaving the girl in her home right now. He didn't like the idea of his beloved at the mercy of those other humans, with only a cowardly flea to protect her. Of course, he thought, Myoga was the only trustworthy vassal who could go undetected.   
  
The Dog-Lord sighed heavily. He had guided her quietly into the arrangement they had been in, where he had visited her secretly at night without taking her from her home. Yoshiko was still young, and so sheltered that she knew little of the outside world. Leaving the shelter of her family would be a horrific shock. What was more, he knew that it would be a lifelong hardship for her to leave her own kind behind for a demon. He didn't want that for her. So he had let her stay where she was, living with her family yet coming to his arms when the sun went down.  
  
But her pregnancy had changed all that. The Dog-Lord knew all too well that his unborn son -- or daughter -- would probably be murdered by the humans after it was born. Even if they spared its life -- out of fear that the Dog-Lord would slaughter them all, as he would -- the child would grow up an outcast, embittered, alone among his many relatives. He would never forget for a moment what he was.  
  
I will not allow such a thing, the Dog-Lord thought angrily.   
  
So the previous night, he had offered to set her free -- to let her return to her own kind once the baby was born. For one terrible moment, he had thought Yoshiko was going to accept the offer. Then she had turned to him with a soft smile, and told him that she wanted to stay with him and the child. She would leave her family and her kind behind, and come with him wherever he led her.  
  
With him, Yoshiko and the baby would both be safe. And other demons feared and honored him enough that so long as he lived, his child would be unscathed. It would be a very powerful demon indeed, who would dare to attack that child.   
  
Of course, that didn't solve his most important problem. Sesshomaru.  
  
The Dog-Lord sighed again. He loved his son dearly, but he harbored no illusions about Sesshomaru's ruthlessness, his coldness. Nor, for that matter, about Sesshomaru's obvious disgust for Yoshiko. He would have to find some way of reconciling his older son to this arrangement, as he worked to prepare his palace and his vassals for Yoshiko's arrival.  
  
He still had so much to do.  
  
.  
  
"I feel sick," Yoshiko said, pushing her sweaty bangs from her face.  
  
"Are you ill, milady?" Myoga asked.  
  
"No... no, it's just the baby. I've been sick ever since I found out." Yoshiko felt as if her stomach was whirling around. She ran a hand over it, wondering if her baby somehow felt how ill she felt.  
  
"Well, milady, it might be best if you tried some kind of cure for it," Myoga said pensively. "Someone might suspect the truth!"  
  
"Do you know of any?" Yoshiko asked faintly.  
  
"Er, no."  
  
Yoshiko rolled over and pressed her cheek to the wooden floor. The Dog-Lord had only been gone for a few days, and already she felt depressed and lonely. Myoga tried to help, but he was only a minor consolation. He rode on her shoulder or in her long hair, offering whispered opinions whenever she spoke to someone. At least I can talk about the Dog-Lord to someone, she thought.  
  
What was more, the fact that she was going to leave haunted her. She found herself drifting around the castle, taking note of places where she had played, the kindly faces of old vassals, even the birdlike gossip of her sisters. It saddened her to think that she would soon leave this all behind -- forever.  
  
Suddenly Yoshiko sat up, clutching at her stomach.  
  
"What is it?" Myoga asked.   
  
Yoshiko doubled over and was sick on the floor. Still gasping and coughing, she felt hands pulling her hair away from her face. Oh no, she thought wildly. Who--who could be--  
  
"All done with that?" Amako's low voice asked.  
  
"M-mother?"  
  
"Don't sit up until you can do it without being sick again."  
  
Shivering, Yoshiko wiped her lips on her sleeve, sitting up shakily. Amako was watching her gravely, studying her daughter's sweaty, pallid face. Then her dark eyes narrowed. "I think I know what's going on here, Yoshiko. I recognize it all too well."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	19. Union of Souls Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN  
  
.  
  
"Y-you do?" Yoshiko said slowly.   
  
"Yes, I think do," her mother said firmly.   
  
Yoshiko felt even sicker than before. Her mother had guessed the truth, and she knew about the baby. If she found out that the baby was half-demon... Frightened, she glanced around for Myoga, but the flea had vanished. "I-I... Mother... I... how did you know?" she whispered.  
  
Amako frowned. "Know? It was obvious, from the way you have been acting recently." She folded her arms and stared solemnly at her daughter's flushed face. "I suppose it isn't too surprising. I had the same problem before I was married."  
  
Yoshiko stared blankly at Amako. "P-problem?"  
  
"Of course. I wasn't able to sleep, or eat a thing for weeks before I married your father," Amako said briskly. "I was a shadow by the time we were wed, but my nerves improved once it was all over and done with. I imagine the same thing will happen once you are married to Samadu."  
  
She began to brush back Yoshiko's long hair. Relieved, Yoshiko let her mother do it. So she doesn't know, the girl thought. She thinks that I'm just nervous about marrying Samadu, not pregnant... but I can't keep this up forever. I can't marry Samadu, and once they find out that I'm pregnant, they will know he isn't the father.  
  
She tried to banish thoughts of her family finding out what her baby was. If the baby had been Samadu's, they simply would have gotten them married as quickly as possible -- but a demon child was another matter. Especially since her sister had spent all that time insisting that there had been a demon in the gardens. If they find out that he was going to me every night, Yoshiko thought, they might figure it out...  
  
As Amako left, something tiny bounced out of Yoshiko's bed. "Oh, that was a close one," Myoga said, wiping his forehead. "I was afraid I would have to fetch milord right away."  
  
"Where were you?" Yoshiko demanded.  
  
"In hiding," Myoga said. "And listening."   
  
Yoshiko sank back against the wall. "I can't stand this. I was sure that she knew the truth..."  
  
"So did I. I don't have much experience with pregnant women," Myoga said solemnly. "But I'm sure your mother does. Don't you have quite a few nephews and nieces?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, there you are. Still, if we can keep her from marrying you to this young man... what's his name..."  
  
"Samadu."  
  
"Thank you. If we can keep her from marrying you to this Samadu, she may continue to think that you are simply lovesick and nervous."  
  
"Being lovesick and nervous wouldn't make me get bigger," Yoshiko said morbidly. "In a few months..."  
  
"Don't worry, milady," Myoga said warmly. "I'm sure milord will come to rescue you long before your pregnancy starts to show."  
  
.  
  
The shock of her mother's visit clung to Yoshiko for the next few days. Half the time, she expected someone to ask her some prying questions, notice some odd change in her. But no one seemed to. In fact, no one except Samadu was paying much attention to her at all.  
  
Every night, she lay awake in her bed thinking about the Dog-Lord. Myoga was usually napping out in the gardens, allowing her some time by herself. Sometimes Yoshiko sang little lullabies to her baby, knowing that it couldn't hear her, but it comforted her to do that. Sometimes she cried, not knowing exactly why. And sometimes she just dreamed about her husband.  
  
And she was starting to feel rather odd -- and not just from being sick. One night, Yoshiko crept out into the gardens and ate one of the vines from the garden wall. Another night, she broke up and ate a seashell -- and she wasn't entirely sure why. Her sister had complained about odd cravings when she was going to have a child, but these went beyond strange.  
  
"It's to be expected, milady," Myoga said sagely. "After all, the baby IS half-demon. It can't really be compared to a human child."  
  
Yoshiko choked down another mouthful. She had sneaked out and made an odd mixture of tea leaves and wasabi. It was disgusting, but somehow she was craving it badly.  
  
"Tell me, milady," Myoga said thoughtfully. "Has the Dog-Lord said whether he hopes the child is a boy or girl?"  
  
"He didn't say anything," Yoshiko said. She paused. "I hope it's a boy."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because my husband said he already had a son. If it's a boy, he would have some importance even if he wasn't the eldest, wouldn't he?"  
  
"Somewhat lessened by his human heritage. But yes, he would." Myoga paused. "But I don't doubt that milord will care for you both, whether the child is a boy or a girl. He is not the kind of demon to favor one of his children over another."  
  
Yoshiko coughed. "Myoga, I want to leave tomorrow."  
  
"Leave for where?"  
  
"There's... someone I want to speak to. Just in case things go wrong, and my husband can't reach me in time."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	20. Union of Souls Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY  
  
.  
  
"Lord Sesshomaru?"  
  
Sesshomaru ignored the high, piping voice coming at him from across the plateau. He was seated on a stone, looking out over the valleys below. They were speckled with little ponds and human villages -- insects, working and dying in the mud. Their lives and minds were so small. So insignificant.   
  
And his father was apparently enamored of one. Sesshomaru had hoped that his father was simply victim of a whim, one which somehow directed him to a human wench's bed. Worse, a sheltered princess who was a child compared to him. But Sesshomaru made an effort not to question his father's choices. He just waited for the Dog-Lord to grow bored with the girl.  
  
Then came the news that she was pregnant... by the Dog-Lord. With a halfbreed baby; the Dog-Lord's pure, powerful demon blood diluted by the human mother's. Rather than discarding her, as Sesshomaru had hoped he would, instead he was bringing his child-bride to live with him. Permanently. It rankled at Sesshomaru, as if a thorn were stuck in his flesh.   
  
His father had spent the past few weeks preparing for Yoshiko's arrival. He wasn't doing much else, unfortunately -- he seemed determined that his human bride and her unborn halfbreed would be well cared for, even living among demons. As if it were possible, Sesshomary thought. The human and her whelp would never be seen as anything but what they were, except for the Dog-Lord's formidable influence.   
  
And at night, the Dog-Lord silently slipped out and vanished again. Sesshomaru knew that his father was not making love to that girl again; her scent wasn't on him any longer. But he did admit to spying on her palace from a distance, making sure that all was peaceful. And if she was within sight, in the gardens or her bedroom, he watched her for awhile.  
  
As for the child... Sesshomaru's golden eyes narrowed. It would be better if that baby never drew breath.  
  
A small green creature puffed over to him, clutching a two-headed staff. "Milord!" Jaken panted. "I must tell you-"  
  
"Do not disturb me. Go."  
  
"B-but milord... your lord father..." Jaken babbled.  
  
Sesshomaru sighed inwardly. Despite being loyal to him, his servant still grovelled in the present of the Dog-Lord. Jaken never knew what to do when orders from his master and his master's father conflicted. So he just stood and burbled helplessly.  
  
Without acknowledging Jaken, Sesshomaru stood up and walked back toward the palace. His long white hair whipped in the wind, hiding his cold face.  
  
.  
  
"Milady, where are we going?" Myoga piped up.  
  
"We're going to find someone... I heard about a few months ago." Yoshiko had only been walking for half an hour, and she was already out of breath. She ducked under a thorny branch, almost catching her cloak on it. She wished she had some sturdier sandals; the flimsy, delicate ones she was wearing weren't suited for hiking through the woods.  
  
"May I ask why, milady?" Myoga folded his four tiny arms. "If you are caught so far from your home, then surely your family would suspect something."  
  
"That's why I'm going."  
  
"I'm afraid I don't understand."  
  
"If... if my family finds out, and the Dog-Lord can't come for me in time," Yoshiko said, "I want to have somewhere where I can hide away. I was told about a girl... a goatherd, I think... who was caught in a cave with a demon lover. I want to ask her... if she will help me if I need it."  
  
"Hmm," Myoga said doubtfully. "It's a good plan, milady. But wouldn't it have been better if I had gone instead?"  
  
"Your master told you to stay with me all the time," Yoshiko said. "This way, you can do as he said."  
  
Suddenly the branch in her hand snapped. Yoshiko tumbled down a steep embankment, clutching at exposed tree roots as she fell. Myoga wailed and fall off somewhere in the dirt. With a little squeak of dismay, Yoshiko landed heavily at the bottom. She was tangled in her cloak and covered with dirt.   
  
I'm just glad my baby isn't old enough to have been hurt by that, she thought, raising her head. She was a little bruised but not really hurt. Grimacing, she sat up and brushed herself off. "Myoga?" she called.   
  
"I'm up here!" squeaked a tiny voice from halfway up the embankment.  
  
Then Yoshiko heard another sound. A low, vicious growl -- coming from right behind her. And a pair of red eyes were glowing inside the bushes. "M-Myoga," she stammered.  
  
The creature growled again, and stalked out into the light. It was a monstrous dog -- and it was staring hungrily at her.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	21. Union of Souls Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE  
  
.  
  
Yoshiko froze. It was the best thing to do when cornered by an angry dog -- but something inside her whispered that it made no difference. That she should run. That if she stayed still, the dog would suddenly leap on her and rip out her throat. Shivering, Yoshiko reached behind her and picked up a jagged stone.  
  
"Milady, run!" Myoga's voice wailed from above her. "That dog is going to kill you!"  
  
That was all Yoshiko needed. She threw the rock at the dog's face; the stone only glanced off its muzzle, but it made the giant beast stagger.  
  
"Run! Run! Quickly, head back!" Myoga shrieked.   
  
The dog snarled again.  
  
"But what about-"  
  
"It won't come after me! RUN!"  
  
Yoshiko threw another rock at the dog, then staggered to her feet and began running as fast as she could. Her thin sandals flew off, and the rocks and twigs stung her bare feet. But she didn't dare to slow down. When she looked behind her, she could see the a streak of white running swiftly after her.  
  
It's after my baby! she thought suddenly, not sure how she knew.  
  
Her foot slipped, and Yoshiko fell to her knees. She could feel the dog's hot breath as it rushed toward her; it leaped into the air, landing at her feet and tried to bit her. But Yoshiko twisted around, and the dog only got a mouthful of her heavy cloak and silk kimonos. With a disgusted growl, the dog tore away a chunk of her clothing and spat it out. Then it began racing after the fleeing girl again.  
  
I have to get back home! Yoshiko thought wildly, running as quickly as she could over fallen trees and rocky embankments.  
  
But then suddenly the dog leaped over her, knocking her to the ground. When Yoshiko looked up, the first thing she saw was sharp teeth, and a pair of glowing red eyes. It wasn't just a random savage beast; it wanted to kill her and her unborn baby specifically. She cringed away and braced herself-  
  
Then suddenly an arrow struck its neck.  
  
Yoshiko gasped and drew back. The dog growled and tried to bite her again. A second arrow slashed into the startled dog's neck, making it stagger. For a moment, blood poured down its flanks. Then it crumpled to the ground, still growling faintly at her.   
  
"Yoshiko!" A familiar figure suddenly ran out of the woods, clutching a bow.  
  
"Samadu?" Yoshiko gasped.   
  
For a moment, she had thought it was the Dog-Lord. Of course not, she thought, disappointed. He doesn't use any weapons. As the young lord ran over to her, she staggered to her feet.   
  
"Yoshiko!" Samadu said, throwing his arms around her. "Are you all right? Did that brute harm you?"  
  
"No, I'm all right," Yoshiko said dazedly. She clung to Samadu as he led her back to the palace. Normally the young man's protectiveness would have annoyed her. But the shaken girl was grateful to him -- not just for saving her, and unknowingly her child, but for comforting her.  
  
Yoshiko suddenly felt guilty. She looked up at Samadu; apparently thinking that she wanted comfort, he smiled and squeezed her shoulders. Samadu, she thought. I wish for your sake... you had fallen in love with someone other than me.   
  
.  
  
"Milady!"   
  
Yoshiko raised her head as Myoga landed beside her head. Samadu had ushered her to her room when they returned, and insisted that he would explain what had happened to her father. Yoshiko had been grateful to him for that. So she slipped out of her ruined clothing and reclined near the window in just an undergown. Her maid bandaged her bruised, bloody feet, then withdrew to leave her mistress alone.   
  
"Where were you, Myoga?" she asked.  
  
"On my way here!" Myoga gasped, wiping his forehead. "Milady, are you all right? Were you hurt?"  
  
"No," Yoshiko said slowly. "Samadu stopped the dog before it could bite me."  
  
"Well, that's good," Myoga said pensively. "Dear me... milady, you mustn't leave the palace in future. It's for your own safety."  
  
"But I-"  
  
"I was instructed by milord to make sure you would be safe," the flea announced. "And you mustn't leave the palace. If you do, then another beast like that dog may attack you." He hopped onto her shoulder. "You mustn't risk yourself, or milord's younger child," he said sternly.  
  
"You mean... you think that wasn't just a wild animal?" she said slowly.  
  
"I don't know," Myoga said, frowning. "But one thing I do know is that... well, I shouldn't make assumptions just yet. But milord will know what to do better than I do."  
  
He hopped off her shoulder. "I shall return in the morning! Don't leave the palace."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	22. Union of Souls Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO  
  
.  
  
"She WHAT?"  
  
Myoga bounced helplessly into the air as his master slammed his fists down on the tabletop. For a moment, the Dog-Lord's eyes blazed red, then faded away to embers. "A mountain dog, you say?" he said in a low voice.  
  
"Yes, milord. It was hunting her, and it was the size of a horse."  
  
"I don't care what size it was," the Dog-Lord snarled. His white hair was bristling slightly. "Are she and the baby all right?"  
  
"Yes, milord. It only managed to tear a part of her clothing before that human boy shot and killed it." Myoga was getting more nervous by the minute. The Dog-Lord was not exactly even-tempered by nature, but centuries had mellowed him. And he had never seen his master as angry as he was now.  
  
The Dog-Lord grimaced. "Human boy?"  
  
Myoga wondered if that had been the wrong thing to say. "Er, yes. The boy she calls... oh, what is it his name, Samadu."  
  
The flea felt even more uneasy as the Dog-Lord's reddened eyes narrowed. "Samadu," he said in a low voice. "That boy they want her to wed. You say he was the one who saved her?"  
  
"Y-yes, milord."  
  
The Dog-Lord seemed to be about to say something else, but suddenly his attention focused elsewhere. "You said that the mountain dog was hunting her. And it was sent by someone to murder Yoshiko and the baby."  
  
"That seems to be so, milord," Myoga said, relieved that they had strayed back on to safe ground.  
  
"Who do you think it might have been?"  
  
"Well, I thought... well... er... um..." Myoga said hesitantly. "Milord, this may be difficult for you to believe, but-"  
  
"You think it was Sesshomaru who sent the dog?" the Dog-Lord said tonelessly.  
  
"Well, I don't have any proof, milord, but... yes. He does, after all, despise humans. And as you said yourself, your union with Yoshiko -- and the future birth of your child together -- has been less than pleasing to him. I know that surely the idea of your son-"  
  
"Be silent," the Dog-Lord growled. "I know my own son. I know that Sesshomaru has the nerves to do such a thing, and I know his feelings about my second wife." He paused. "But I will not be unjust, and confront him without proof. Bring me proof, and I'll deal with the situation from there."  
  
"Yes, milord." Myoga bowed.  
  
"Make sure Yoshiko doesn't stray from that palace again," the Dog-Lord said soberly. "She may not be safe there, but safer than she would be on the outside. If any demons attack that place, the humans can presumably hold them off long enough for you to fetch me."  
  
"I will do as you command, milord," Myoga said. He bowed again, then jumped off the table and darted out.  
  
The Dog-Lord sat heavily by the window, staring out at the clouds. One of his hands, gripping the edge of the sill, left long claw marked gouged into the wood. I almost lost them both, he thought. A look of sadness came over his face briefly, before he buried it again.   
  
I don't know that it was Sesshomaru, he thought. And until Myoga can bring me more than suspicions, I will not accuse my own son of such a thing.  
  
He had thought that Yoshiko would be safe, just so long as she kept her pregnancy hidden. And that the baby would be safe, if no one knew of it -- and its half-demon heritage. But now he knew for certain that someone was after Yoshiko. No mountain dog would dare to attack a woman who had the scent of the Dog-Lord's child in her. Unless it had been sent. Unfortunately that arrogant human boy had killed it, so the Dog-Lord couldn't find out who...  
  
Feeling suddenly very tired -- and very old -- he sat down and closed his eyes. No more, he thought. She can't stay there any longer.   
  
.  
  
The sun was about to set, and it flooded the palace with golden light.  
  
Yoshiko stayed away from her family. She still felt shaken by nearly being mauled by that mountain dog -- and her stomach was upset by the sight of those boneless squid on the table. Her mother had been fussing around her all evening, telling her, "You should NEVER have left alone and unescorted. And what would have happened to you if Samadu hadn't been there?"  
  
Samadu just blushed and mumbled that it was nothing. Yoshiko just mumbled, hoping her mother would stop talking about it.  
  
One thing lightened her heart that evening. One of her sisters-in-law had brought her newborn baby, to be seen by its grandparents. As Yoshiko cradled the tiny baby, it blinked up at her with large dark eyes. She smiled slightly, imagining her own baby -- a baby with the Dog-Lord's golden eyes and silver hair. Or would it look more like her?  
  
She wandered out into the gardens, still thinking about her baby. "Milady," you should be more careful," Myoga said from somewhere in her hair. "They mustn't suspect."  
  
"I don't think that was suspicious," Yoshiko said dreamily.  
  
Suddenly she gasped, and clutched at her stomach. Something powerful seemed to pulse from deep inside her womb, making her shiver. It wasn't painful -- but it was a strange feeling. What's happening? she thought fearfully.  
  
"Milady, what's wrong?" Myoga hopped out onto her shoulder.  
  
"I don't know," Yoshiko breathed. The feeling had faded away, but she wasn't sure what it had meant. Was there something wrong with her baby?  
  
She lay awake deep into the night, staring at the moonless sky through her open window. But she dozed off at some point -- because the strange pulsing deep in her belly returned as the sun rose. She woke a groggy Myoga and asked him what it meant. "I'm not sure," Myoga said groggily. "I can ask milord. Do you think that anything is wrong with your child?"  
  
"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking you!" Yoshiko whispered. She was doing her best not to cry. "If my baby was hurt by what happened in the woods-"  
  
"Now now, milady," Myoga soothed. "I'm sure that isn't it."  
  
Yoshiko was too terrified to sleep for the rest of the morning, and it was only by Myoga's coaxing that she ate at all. But the strange feelings didn't return that day, or the day after. And aside from the morning sickness, Yoshiko began to feel a little more secure -- except for the fact that Samadu kept asking her if she wanted to walk in the gardens with him.  
  
But the following night, Yoshiko heard something land on the roof over her room. At first she was too tired to respond. But then she stiffened. A dark shadow had just passed by the screen over her window.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	23. Union of Souls Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE  
  
.  
  
Yoshiko almost felt her heart stop as the shadow paused outside her window. The screen scraped open, and a tall demon stepped inside. For a moment, Yoshiko couldn't see his face clearly. But when the flickering lamplight caught his eyes, she relaxed.  
  
"Oh, it's you," she whispered.  
  
"Who did you think it was?" the Dog-Lord rumbled, closing the screen most of the way.  
  
"I don't know," Yoshiko said faintly. "After the other day, and what Myoga said... I thought it might be someone else."  
  
The Dog-Lord walked swiftly over to Yoshiko's bed, and enfolded her in his arms. For a moment, Yoshiko forgot about all her fears, her family, and just clung to him, hungrily kissing the demon she loved. As it ended, she pressed her face against his throat, clutching at him as if she were afraid of something. She stayed as close as his spiked armor would let her, wondering, Why is he here so early? He said that it would take weeks to prepare for me...  
  
"Myoga," the Dog-Lord said quietly. "I want to speak with her alone."  
  
"Yes, milord." The flea hopped off of Yoshiko's bed. "I shall be waiting outside." He bounced off into the garden.  
  
The Dog-Lord waited until Myoga was gone. Then he rested his cheek against Yoshiko's head. "Are you all right?" he whispered.  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"And the baby?"  
  
"I-I think so. Myoga told you?"  
  
"Of course." The Dog-Lord's hands tightened on Yoshiko's body. "You've been frightened, and not just by the dog."  
  
"Yes." Yoshiko's voice cracked. "Keeping this a secret has me... frightened. I keep expecting someone to find out about the baby... or for them to marry me off to Samadu. My mother keeps hanging around, and when she does, I think she's going to know -- and my father asked me why I was out in the woods -- "  
  
"Don't worry about them," the demon growled softly. For a moment he stiffened, as if he were getting angry. Then he quickly relaxed and began winding strands of her dark hair around his fingers. "I thought you and the baby would be safe here, so long as no one knew. I was wrong."  
  
"What am I going to do?" Yoshiko whispered. Tears welled up in her eyes.   
  
"I won't leave you in danger any longer," the Dog-Lord growled. "I know that I talked about coming back in a few weeks' time. But it isn't safe. I'll come for you tomorrow, or the day after."  
  
"When?"  
  
"During the day. You'll know when I come -- in fact, everyone here will. As you asked, your family will know -- even if I doubt they would be relieved to see you depart in the arms of a demon." He stroked her hair. "Don't be frightened of what you see. Just run to me, and I'll deal with everything else."  
  
"All right," Yoshiko mumbled.  
  
"Yoshiko," the Dog-Lord said softly. "You must remember that there will be no going back after this. After your family sees you depart with me, they will know the truth." He hesitated. "There is still time to change your mind... if you wish to remain among humans. But after tonight, there will be no turning back to the life you have known till now. And I cannot promise that life from here on, with me, will be easy."  
  
"I know," Yoshiko whispered. She closed her eyes as his rough, clawed hand caressed her cheek, and she rested her dark head against his armored chest. "I know... but I have made my choice. I want to stay with you... and our baby. I want that... more than I care about living among humans."  
  
The Dog-Lord's hands caught her face up in another lingering kiss. "Then it is decided," the Dog-Lord said softly, after pulling away. "I am glad. I would make nearly any sacrifice in my power to make, if it kept us from being parted." He stroked her hair, looking into her eyes. "Now sleep, and wait for me. I promise that I won't be long."  
  
Reluctantly he let go of her, and vanished out the open window.   
  
Yoshiko sat alone in the dark, hugging herself. She watched as a massive shadow blotted out the thin moon, and a breeze ruffled the leaves on the magnolia tree where they had first walked together. A faint roar rumbled in the distance.   
  
Myoga bounced up onto her shoulder. "Milady, is there anything I should know? Milady? Are you all right?"  
  
Yoshiko buried her face in her arms, trying not to cry.   
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	24. Union of Souls Chapter 24

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR  
  
.  
  
The next day was agony for Yoshiko. She cried long into the night, even with Myoga desperately trying to get her to stop. And the next morning, in the pale dawn light, she drifted around the familiar corridors and rooms of the palace.  
  
I won't come back here again, probably, she thought sadly. And my family will know where I've gone, and why, but they'll never understand. They would never accept my baby because he's a half-demon. She felt a tug in her heart at the thought. It hurt to think that her happiness couldn't be shared by her family. And that she could only be happy if she hurt them.  
  
"Milady," Myoga said in her ear. "Not where people can see you."  
  
"I know, I know," Yoshiko said, wiping her eyes. "I just wish it would happen sooner..."  
  
"Who are you talking to?" a voice said loudly.  
  
Yoshiko stiffened. She felt Myoga hop into the neckline of her robes, as a yawning girl wandered out of one of the rooms. Aziko glanced around blearily. "Who were you talking to?" she asked.  
  
Yoshiko feigned surprise. "No one," she said. "There is no one else here."  
  
Aziko glanced around again, then shrugged and went back into the room.  
  
Myoga said nothing until they were safely out of earshot. "Well done, milady," he said then.  
  
Yoshiko barely heard him. Her mind was still tangled up in her problems. Even if her family accepted that she had taken a powerful demon as a lover -- and then a husband -- they would never accept him. The closest thing she could imagine to acceptance was constant nagging from her mother, to leave him and marry a human instead. And she doubted that her sisters would say anything better than a giggling, "What was he like? Is he... BETTER than a human lover?" Yoshiko wrinkled her nose.   
  
"Milady!" Myoga said shrilly.  
  
"What?" Yoshiko said hastily.  
  
"I was saying, that if you have any possessions that you wish to take with you, you had better prepare them now. When the Dog-Lord arrives, there will be no time!"  
  
"You're right," Yoshiko said softly.  
  
She went to her room, and quickly gathered together little knickknacks and treasures that she had had since she was a little girl. Only the ones small enough to hide and tuck in her clothing went into her bag. She wasn't sure whether to bring clothing or not, and eventually decided not to.   
  
Thunder rumbled in the distance, from the clouds over the mountains. Yoshiko shivered a little, wondering if it was really a storm, or something to do with the Dog-Lord. The sky was overcast, and the wind was starting to blow harder. The trees shivered.  
  
"Is that him?" Yoshiko said.  
  
"It may well be," Myoga said gravely.  
  
Yoshiko quickly closed the window screen. I wish I had asked him what he was planning, she thought. Then I might know what to expect...  
  
.  
  
If Yoshiko's family noticed anything odd, then they gave no hint of it. Yoshiko joined her sisters in a spacious room overlooking the gardens. She idly played with flowers, before helping her younger sister arrange them. The little girl was frustrated, but Yoshiko managed to help her.  
  
Aziko was sulking, apparently because her desperate flirtations with Samadu had come to nothing. And two of the other girls were trying to calm her down, reminding her that Samadu was betrothed to Yoshiko.   
  
You can win him over soon, Aziko, Yoshiko thought. I won't be your rival for much longer. After today, or tomorrow, he will know the truth. And he won't want me after that.  
  
Suddenly she felt tears stinging her eyes. This was the last time she would sit quietly with her sisters, the last time she would have to put up with Aziko's petty jealousy. Even if she saw her family again someday, they would never see her as the beloved, obedient daughter. And she was sure she would not see them again as long as her husband lived.  
  
"Yoshiko, are you crying?" Yabaki asked.  
  
"I have pollen in my eye," Yoshiko said, scrubbing her eyes furiously.   
  
She lingered with her sisters for hours, helping the younger girls with their flowers and trying to chat with her sisters and sisters-in-law. But her heart was waiting -- waiting for the Dog-Lord's appearance. Both dreading it, and longing for it. It's almost time, she thought to her baby. We'll be with your father soon...  
  
Then a rumble filled the air.  
  
"Oh, it's going to rain," Yabaki called. "Someone shut the screens."  
  
A servant ran over to obey.  
  
No, Yoshiko thought. A prickle ran down her spine. That hadn't been thunder that they heard. It had ended in what sounded like a... triumphant roar.  
  
The quiet chatter of the young women was suddenly broken by a harsh man's voice. It was distant, but clear: "To arms! A demon is coming!"  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	25. Union of Souls Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE  
  
.  
  
Yoshiko could hear more shouts, more yelling as the servants ushered her into the halls along with her sisters and their children. Somewhere in the fuss, she managed to creep behind a wide screen, and crouched there for a long time.  
  
When the footsteps had faded, Yoshiko carefully crept out. The windows had been shut against the cold wind, but she could still hear a dull roaring. Was that the Dog-Lord? What was going on out there?  
  
.  
  
Another roar rang out through the sky. The clouds were darkening with the oncoming storm, and something was coming from over the mountains. It seemed to be running or flying through the clouds -- and it was coming down toward them.  
  
Dozens of human warriors were spilling out of the palace, clutching whatever weapons they had been able to find. They quaked at the sight of something long and sinuous coiling across the sky against the clouds. Suddenly it seemed to plummet down toward them, running on the air as if it were solid ground.   
  
It was a great dragon -- easily as long as the palace was, narrow and sinuous, with shimmering green scales and eyes like flames. It slithered down from the sky like a serpent, before landing with a crash on the plain overlooking the palace. It snarled and hissed at the samurai, driving them back a few steps.   
  
But that wasn't the frightening part. Sitting on its back, clutching a pair of red reins like a man on a horse, was one of those demons that looked almost like a human. It was taller than the tallest man there, and dressed as richly as an emperor. He stared impassively at the humans as the dragon settled down to the ground. His long white hair was blowing in the wind, and his eyes were flashing.  
  
Without paying any heed to the soldiers there, he half-dismounted and stared around. Then he climbed back on and settled back. The dragon growled and crouched down.   
  
"W-what's it doing?" one of the samurai stammered.  
  
"It's like he's waiting for something..." another whispered.  
  
The demon seemed to confirm their words by tugging on the reins, then staring out at the crowd of warriors. His golden eyes took in their faces, as if he were listening, waiting, watching. For the next two hours, he and the dragon stayed out in the field, not attacking -- but not leaving either.  
  
.  
  
"Prepare to shoot him down if he tries anything!" Yoshiko heard her father call out.   
  
"Y-yes my lord," one of them said.  
  
"But my lord," one of the samurai said slowly, "if he is one of the great demons, then surely we cannot stop him."  
  
Yoshiko huddled back in the shadows of the gate, wrapped in a cloak that almost hid her from sight. She couldn't see too clearly through the ragged lines of her father's men, but the Dog-Lord was out there. Waiting, on the back of a dragon. He had done as she asked, and instead of just breaking through, he was waiting for her to come to him. There won't be time for a second chance, she thought. If she were caught on her way to the Dog-Lord, then he would surely attack anyone who tried to stop her.  
  
Yoshiko took a deep breath. "Myoga?" she whispered.  
  
"Almost time," Myoga mumbled. "If you can run around the edge of the wall, you can dart around the side and go straight to the Dog-Lord."  
  
"What if they chase me?"  
  
"Ah, leave that to milord," Myoga said confidently.   
  
No one saw the cloaked figure dark out behind the samurai. But when Yoshiko slipped quietly past the lines of nervous, armed men, she felt a pair of eyes turn to her. A young man at her father's side slowly turned to look at her, as if he had heard something odd.  
  
She gasped. It was Samadu. His dark eyes widened at the sight of her, and she saw his lips form her name.  
  
Myoga saw it too. He wailed, "Run, milady!"  
  
Yoshiko broke into a run, almost as terrified as when she had nearly been murdered by the dog. A ripple of confusion went through the ranks of the samurai, and suddenly a dozen of them raced after her. "Yoshiko! Come back!" she heard her father cry.  
  
"Oh dear, oh dear..." Myoga was whimpering. Suddenly the flea hopped off of her clothing, and darted away into the weedy grass.  
  
"Myoga!" Yoshiko cried out. But she didn't have time to stop and find the flea. Still running as fast as she could, she glanced back -- and saw a hand reaching for her.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	26. Union of Souls Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX  
  
.  
  
The Dog-Lord's eyes flared as he saw Yoshiko being chased by a dozen armored men, each intending to drag the stumbling girl back. Fools! he thought angrily. If even one of them so much as scratches her...  
  
With a growl, he yanked on the reins, and the dragon roared. Its long tail snapped out like a whip, smashing over the ground behind Yoshiko. The ground split open with a flash of light, and the humans were thrown back like so many flimsy broken toys.   
  
Yoshiko had been thrown to her knees by the blast. But after a glance back, she staggered up and ran again to the Dog-Lord. The fiery-eyed dragon he was riding on was staring at her in a hungry sort of way, but he seemed to have it firmly under control. And he was leaning down, holding out one of his hands to her.  
  
Yoshiko raised her own hand as she rushed toward him.  
  
"Stop her! The demon's bewitched her!" her father shouted.  
  
"YOSHIKO!" Strong hands grabbed Yoshiko's cloaked shoulders from behind. It was Samadu, trying to pull her back. "Yoshiko! Quickly, it isn't safe-"  
  
"Let me go!" Yoshiko cried.  
  
"Yoshiko-"  
  
Yoshiko threw off her cloak, leaving it in Samadu's hands. Samadu threw it down and ran after her again, reaching for the girl and almost touching her-  
  
The Dog-Lord growled more loudly this time. "Whelp," he whispered under his breath.   
  
He pointed at the young man, and something long and glowing shot out from his hand like a whip. It smashed into Samadu, throwing him backwards to the ground with a pained howl.  
  
Yoshiko was tempted to go back and see if he was seriously hurt, but she knew that it would be stupid. She ran to the Dog-Lord's side, and he swept her up onto the dragon's back in front of him. He hugged her tightly for a moment -- Yoshiko noticed that he wasn't wearing his spiked breastplate -- then glared down at the injured nobleman on the ground.  
  
"Try to touch my wife again, boy," the Dog-Lord said in a low voice, but loudly enough that Samadu could hear, "and I'll rip you apart so fast, you won't have time to scream."  
  
Samadu stared at the Dog-Lord in shock. Then he slowly looked to Yoshiko. "W-wife...?" he whispered.   
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered. Then she looked away.  
  
"Now go back, pup," the Dog-Lord said tightly. "You've upset her enough. Don't make me any angrier than I already am." He grabbed the reins with his free hand and snapped them over the dragon's long neck. It rumbled and began to rise again.  
  
"Open fire!" one of the men shouted.  
  
A hail of arrows arced over them as the dragon began to run into the sky again. Yoshiko gasped as the Dog-Lord quickly wrapped a cloak over her, even covering her head. Arrows bounced off it as if it were armor, and clattered uselessly to the ground.  
  
Yoshiko stayed still until the sound of shouting faded, then shrugged off the cloak.  
  
For a moment, the view made her dizzy. The clouds were swirling under them as the dragon climbed higher into the sky. And the towering trees and sprawling palace had dwindled away to almost nothing. A gust of wind blew more clouds under them, and Yoshiko's old home vanished. She looked away.  
  
"Are you all right?" the Dog-Lord asked quietly.  
  
"Yes," Yoshiko said, resting her head against his chest. She tried to keep her loneliness out of her voice. "I just wish... I wish it didn't have to be this way. I wish -- I'm not sorry I chose to come, but I wish... I hadn't had to part with them like I did."  
  
The Dog-Lord slipped his free arm around her waist. "So do I," he said softly.   
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	27. Union of Souls Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN  
  
.  
  
Thin clouds streamed over the dragon's head and back. The stars were shining faintly overhead, and the dark forests below stretched into the distance, to the foot of the mountains. Cold night winds swept over the flying beast, and the two riders on its back.  
  
The Dog-Lord dropped the reins. The dragon knew the path home, and it was obedient enough not to stray from its course. Then the demon looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms. Yoshiko's head was resting against his shoulder, her face hidden by her windblown black hair. Even asleep, her arms were tightly wrapped around his chest.   
  
The Dog-Lord put a hand on her head, thinking back to the moments when those humans had been chasing her. For a moment, he thought he would have to break his word to her, and kill them on the spot to keep her and their unborn child safe. But she had managed to elude them. Barely.   
  
And now they wouldn't have her back. That whelp would never touch her. And those samurai would never have the chance to kill their child.   
  
The clouds cleared away, revealing the sprawling palace set into the mountain peak. The dragon roared as it spiraled down to the ground, and settled in a cloud of dust. "Wait here," the Dog-Lord commanded.  
  
The dragon growled.  
  
The Dog-Lord slid down, with Yoshiko still cradled in his arms. Quietly and carefully, he carried the sleeping girl through the dark hallways of the palace. Minor demons, his servants, bowed deeply as he swept through.   
  
He came to a suite of chambers near the east side of the palace. Yoshiko stirred as he gently placed her on the bedding. Then the demon slipped out silently, glancing back just once at the human girl sleeping in a pool of moonlight.  
  
.  
  
Yoshiko woke up slowly, feeling sunlight on her face.   
  
Where am I? she thought sleepily. This isn't my bed...   
  
The room around her was much larger than hers. The morning sun was flooding it through thin windows, and lighting up the smooth wooden floors, the intricate screens, and the golden wall hangings. Yoshiko slowly sat up, pushing away the silk sheets. The bed was much larger than hers was as well...  
  
Then she remembered. The night before, she had been so exhausted that she had fallen asleep, clinging to the Dog-Lord on the back of his dragon. He had whispered to her that she should rest, and that he would take care of her. This must be his palace, she thought, glancing around the room.  
  
Then she saw the demon standing in the shadowed doorway. At first glance, she thought it was the Dog-Lord. This demon was tall and white-haired, and just as richly dressed as her husband. But after a moment, she thought, He's too young -- he only looks a little older than me. And his face...  
  
The demon stared coldly at her. "Come with me," he said. "My father told me to bring you when you woke."  
  
"Your father?" Yoshiko said, scrambling up. "So... you are Sesshomaru?"  
  
He ignored her and walked away.  
  
Yoshiko followed him through the passageways of the palace, glancing around. It looked a great deal like a richly furnished human's castle, but a few things about it were odd -- the wall hangings were all embroidered with pictures of snarling demons. Oddly-shaped shadows crept behind screens. She could feel eyes watching her.  
  
Sesshomaru was still completely quiet as he walked. Yoshiko finally said, "Where is my... your father?"  
  
He said nothing.  
  
"Is Myoga here?" Yoshiko tried again. "And... has your father... told you anything about me?" She almost asked if he had been told about the baby, but decided not to push him.  
  
When Sesshomaru stayed silent, Yoshiko sighed. He just didn't want to talk to her, clearly. So he hates humans, or so Myoga said, she thought. I wonder... what is he going to think about my baby? Will he think of it as a demon, or a human?  
  
Finally Sesshomaru stopped in front of a door. He slid it open, and called inside, "Father. I have brought the mortal girl, as you so ordered."  
  
The Dog-Lord looked up from a scroll he was studying. "Come in."  
  
Yoshiko followed Sesshomaru in, feeling nervous. The Dog-Lord looked so distant and formal, not at all as he had been before. He was seated in a throne-like chair that looked... were those BONES it was made out of?  
  
"Thank you, my son," the Dog-Lord said to Sesshomaru. "And now please leave us. I wish to speak with Yoshiko alone."  
  
Sesshomaru bowed deeply to his father, then left.   
  
The Dog-Lord stayed quiet until the door slid shut. Then he suddenly moved forward and wrapped Yoshiko in a tight hug. "How are you?" he asked quietly.  
  
"Better now. But a moment ago, when your son was here-"  
  
The Dog-Lord sighed heavily. "Sesshomaru isn't pleased about you," he said. "Nor is he pleased to hear about a younger brother or sister, of half human blood. I did not wish to grind his face into it."  
  
"I understand." But Yoshiko couldn't help feeling uneasy about her cold-faced stepson.  
  
The Dog-Lord smiled suddenly. "And speaking of our child, how is it?"  
  
"I think he's all right?"  
  
"Any kicking yet?"  
  
"I think it's too early," Yoshiko said, pressing one of his large hands to her stomach.   
  
"Hmm," the Dog-Lord responded thoughtfully. "Well, aside from that... I have a few things to show you in your new home, Yoshiko. I don't think you will be disappointed."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	28. Union of Souls Chapter 28

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT  
  
.  
  
Yoshiko kept her eyes down as the Dog-Lord led her from his chambers. Her stomach was flipping around again, making her feel ill and lightheaded. Her fingers clung to his arm to steady herself.   
  
The hallways had looked at first glance like ordinary passages, like the ones at home. But they were higher and darker, lit with lamps and torches where there were no windows. The few windows Yoshiko saw were shut, and full of mist and damp with morning dew. She could smell flowers somewhere nearby, but if there was a garden, the Dog-Lord made no mention of it.   
  
Suddenly her foot landed on something smooth and shiny. Yoshiko gasped and jumped back.  
  
The Dog-Lord took a step forward, then looked back at her. "What's wrong?" he rumbled.  
  
"The floor..."  
  
"Ah," the Dog-Lord said, half-smiling. "Just a polished stone floor, although I don't think much of it. Some is wooden and built like a human's palace, and some is carved out of the living rock of this mountain." He took her hand and pressed it against the wall. It was cold and slightly damp, and rough edges caught at Yoshiko's slim fingers. The Dog-Lord's hand slowly curled over hers. "And the walls," he said quietly. "It's somewhat different from what you're used to, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes..." Yoshiko stared around the dark corridor, and took a few more hesitant steps on the stone floor. It was polished and a little slippery, but she could walk on it without losing her footing.   
  
The Dog-Lord kept his arm around her as he led her through, and opened a wide door in a hallway. Sunlight flooded the hallway, and Yoshiko blinked furiously as the light blinded her. "W-what?" she stammered.  
  
"Your chambers," the Dog-Lord said quietly.  
  
Yoshiko blinked again, and wiped her eyes. The room in front of her was the one she had woken up in, but the sunlight was streaming freely through the open windows. A soft, cool breeze was blowing in, stirring Yoshiko's long black hair. Out of the window, she could see a sweeping view of the mountainside, dotted with lush green trees and jagged peaks. In the distance, half-hidden by the treetops, she could see the the faint sparkle of a lake and river, set on fire by the morning sun.   
  
"All yours," the Dog-Lord said quietly. "How do you like it?"  
  
"I-I-I..." Yoshiko stammered. "I'm going to be sick."  
  
She ran back the way she had come. The Dog-Lord stared after her for a moment. Then he shook his head, trying not to smile. Not exactly how I imagined her reaction to be, he thought. But then again, she is pregnant. Better to err on the side of generosity.  
  
He waited for a few minutes. Yoshiko came back a little while later, with her slim hands pressed to her stomach. "I'm sorry," she murmured.  
  
"Don't think of it. You have had a difficult past few days," the Dog-Lord said. He rested one of his muscled arms across her shoulders, drawing her closer to him. "There is one more thing I would show you."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Come in!" the Dog-Lord roared.   
  
A door on the opposite side of the room slid open, and three young women walked in and knelt in a row on the floor. At first glance, Yoshiko thought they were human. Each one had long black hair, and a face like a human's. But as they bowed, the hair on one girl's head slipped -- and Yoshiko saw that her ears were pointed like the Dog-Lord's. When they rose to stared at her, she saw that their eyes were red.  
  
"Yaniko, Rusiko, and Iako," the Dog-Lord said with a smile. "Maidservants for you, and to help with our child." He felt pride in finding these three sisters to serve his young bride -- it had been difficult to find demon maids who were willing to serve a human girl, or her half-human child. But he had been determined that Yoshiko be provided with everything she had had in her old home... and more. And more often than not, when the Dog-Lord wanted something, he got it.  
  
"Milady Yoshiko," Rusiko murmured, bowing again.   
  
"Milady," Iako and Yaniko added quickly.   
  
Yoshiko looked up at the Dog-Lord. He saw tears in her eyes, and for a moment he thought that somehow she was displeased. Then she rested her head against his chest, with her soft fingers clinging to his. "Thank you," she said softly.  
  
.  
  
That night, the Dog-Lord watched as the three maidservants filed out of Yoshiko's chambers. His beloved had been timid and quiet when he left her, to get her accustomed to her new quarters. But from time to time, he had drifted by, and heard her quietly asking questions of her maids. They seemed respectful, even to a human.  
  
She seems happy enough, he thought. He caught the edge of the door and pulled it open.  
  
Yoshiko was sitting on her bed, in a room lit only by one lamp. Half of her kimonos lay in a heap around her, with the rest half-hanging off her slender body. She was only wearing a white undergown, carelessly tied to her waist with a brocaded sash. She gave no sign of having heard the Dog-Lord come into her room.  
  
"Yoshiko," the Dog-Lord said quietly.  
  
He knelt down beside her, and gently slipped his large hands around her waist, linking his fingers over her belly. He nuzzled against the side of her neck, breathing in her scent, and his lips slowly moved up to her jaw, her cheek, slowly moving close to her mouth.   
  
Then Yoshiko made an odd, strangled sound.  
  
The Dog-Lord quickly moved away. Yoshiko suddenly huddled forward, burying her face in her hands. A faint, raw noise escaped her, and her shoulders began to shake. "I'm sorry," she whispered.  
  
The Dog-Lord's eyes softened. "You don't need to be," he said quietly. When he drew Yoshiko close to him again, it was only to hold her. She clung to his embroidered robes, trying to stifle her homesick crying. And he whispered words of comfort, although he knew that they meant nothing.  
  
I thought it would be enough, the Dog-Lord thought, stroking her back. Sadness began to creep into his heart. His might could level mountains and destroy cities, and wipe entire armies of humans and demons alike from the face of the earth. But there was one thing he could not do.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	29. Union of Souls Chapter 29

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE  
  
.   
  
Yoshiko was quiet and withdrawn for the next several weeks, spending much of her time secluded in her chambers. I didn't think that I would be as scared as this, she thought as she looked out over the valleys and mountains. But her heart was racing like a dying bird's, whenever she thought about this strange, looming castle, and the unfamiliar life she had suddenly been thrown into.  
  
I can never go back, she thought. Never.  
  
The Dog-Lord tried to comfort her when he could, but even her lover couldn't drive away her unhappiness. Sesshomaru didn't help -- he ignored her much of the time. And when forced to acknowledge her, he did so with a sort of icy civility. The little green creature that went everywhere with him wasn't so pleasant -- Yoshiko heard him calling her "that wretched human" when he didn't know she could hear.  
  
A part of her knew that it was for the best -- to go back to humans would be to forfeit the Dog-Lord forever. And I could never leave my baby, she thought. But there was an ache in her heart when she thought of her family, and how they wouldn't be able to see her baby.  
  
Why couldn't they understand? she thought, looking out over the expanse of trees and mountains.  
  
.  
  
The Dog-Lord kept his distance, often spending long hours racing across the skies in his dog form, or locked in his own chambers. A part of him wanted to hold Yoshiko again, and comfort her as best he could. He had known this would be hard for her, but he hadn't known how hard.  
  
And a feeling of guilt clung to him when he thought of her homesickness. Damn, he thought. This is what I didn't want for her... I didn't want her to be alone.   
  
But there was no turning back. Her family had seen Yoshiko run straight toward him, and now they would know that she had willingly run away with a demon. And he also knew that at best, among humans their child would be a reviled outcast. At worst, he would die within an hour of being born. And Yoshiko knew that as well as he did.  
  
The Dog-Lord sat down heavily by the window. She said that she wanted to stay with him and their child. But now he wondered if she had changed her mind, even after it was too late. Too late...  
  
.  
  
It was raining lightly when Yoshiko went to the gardens, one night a month after her arrival.  
  
The Dog-Lord watched her silently from a balcony. The human girl was slipping quietly through the overgrown trees and tangled vines, her hair and clothing damp. But when she looked up to him, the faint firelight of the lamps caught her bright eyes and open face.   
  
The Dog-Lord kept his eyes on her, remembering the candle light that had framed her face that first night they had seen one another up close. "Yoshiko," he whispered.  
  
Yoshko was picking a handful of wet purple flowers. Suddenly she looked up to him again. "Would you come down to me?" she called.  
  
The Dog-Lord jumped down lightly, and waited for her to speak.  
  
Yoshiko glanced down at the flowers in her hands. "I needed to be alone for a while," she said quietly.   
  
The Dog-Lord cupped his large hands under her small ones. Water trickled through from the flower petals. "I'm sorry," he rumbled. "Perhaps I should have given you more time in your old home..."  
  
"It wouldn't have helped," Yoshiko said softly. "It would still have hurt. I know... I know what they would have done, but I still can't... forget them. I can't simply cast them off, after so many years of loving them." She looked up at him solemnly. "You understand, don't you?"  
  
The Dog-Lord raised one of his hands to touch her cheek. "I think I do," he said. In a lower voice, he added, "You can't just leave now... now that they know the truth."  
  
"I don't want to leave," Yoshiko said. Her voice caught slightly. "But... I won't stop missing them for a long time. It won't stop hurting. I was thinking... thinking that when I remember what I have lost by coming here... with you... I should remember what I have gained too." She smiled and touched one of the flowers to her stomach.   
  
The Dog-Lord smiled softly, for what felt like the first time in years. "As will I," he said.  
  
He folded her into his arms, letting her head rest against his chest. He could feel tears on her face, but this time he allowed himself to wipe them away. The loss of her family would not be a wound that would heal soon -- but at least she was going to be content with him, and with their baby.   
  
"I'm sorry," Yoshiko whispered, "that I kept you away from me. But I needed to be alone, just so I could think..."  
  
"I understand." The Dog-Lord rested his cheek on her head.   
  
"I won't leave you, or our baby, no matter how homesick I am," Yoshiko said softly.  
  
She closed her eyes as the Dog-Lord began to kiss her, first gently, then like a starving man. The blossoms slipped through her fingers as she raised a hand, and stroked his hair away from her face.   
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	30. Union of Souls Chapter 30

CHAPTER THIRTY  
  
.  
  
The Dog-Lord was waiting for her in his chambers as the rains stopped.   
  
For the first time in weeks, he felt peaceful and composed. Though Yoshiko's loss of her family still stung her, now he knew that it was something she was learning to bear. He would continue to support her, try to distract her, and comfort her when he could. And when their first child was born, she would have something more to distract her. That thought pleased him even more.   
  
Though there wasn't any outward sign that she was pregnant, the Dog-Lord knew that it would make itself obvious very soon... and before that happened, there was something more he would have to do, to insure that Yoshiko and the baby remained safe. He still remembered the mountain dog, and how it had nearly stolen both of them from him.  
  
They were safer now that they were in his home. The Dog-Lord wouldn't let Yoshiko be exposed and vulnerable here. And their child would be born in safety as complete as his -- or her -- father could manage it.   
  
He felt a light touch on his back. "My lord?"  
  
The Dog-Lord smiled. "I was wondering when you would come." He caught her slim hands and pulled her around to face him. "And the Dog-Lord... is not accustomed to waiting..."  
  
Yoshiko smiled up at him. "Of course not, my lord." She rested her cheek against his. "Would it please you to retire?"  
  
"It would please me very much," the Dog-Lord said in a low voice.  
  
.  
  
Yoshiko watched the candlelight flicker on the ceilings of the Dog-Lord's chambers. It was cavernous and dark, full of strange shadows and jagged corners, and the sky outside was a maze of stars in a moonless sky. If Yoshiko stretched out her arm, she could touch the Dog-Lord's sword lying beside his bedding, along with his carelessly discarded clothes.   
  
But she didn't want to move at all. The Dog-Lord was still holding her tightly, with his face nestled against her throat. Yoshiko stroked his long ivory hair, thinking back to the hours before this. Somehow she felt more relaxed now that they met in his home -- HER home.   
  
Before, everything between them had been furtive and whispered. Their touches had all been in the dark, except for a candle behind a screen, even when they planned to leave together. Now there was no need for silence or secrets -- if anyone heard them at night, or saw them together, it wouldn't make the slightest difference.  
  
She kissed her husband's forehead lightly. I'm glad we don't have to sneak around, she thought.  
  
The hours passed slowly, and in time the Dog-Lord stirred and drew Yoshiko closer to him. She was sleeping lightly now, with her dark hair draped over her body and shadowing over her face. The Dog-Lord lightly flicked it away from her closed eyes. She shifted closer to him, sleepily nuzzling at his cheek. The Dog-Lord's breath caught as she sighed heavily, and settled close to him.   
  
For a moment, he wasn't sure. But then he smiled slightly, and stroked her stomach under the covers. It looked like he had whisked her away from her family just in time -- she was starting to show the first outward signs of pregnancy.  
  
The Dog-Lord smiled and propped himself up on one arm. When she slept, she looked like barely more than a child. Not a woman who was now his second wife... and the mother of his unborn younger child. While she was sleeping, her pretty face regained the innocence that he had accidently stolen from her. Even if her newfound gravity was even more bewitching.  
  
And even being torn from her old life, and transplanted into a strange one, isn't enough to drive her back, he thought. Her happiness was the one thing I could never give her... and for a while, I thought she had lost it because of me.  
  
Then suddenly he sat up and blinked.  
  
"What's wrong?" Yoshiko asked sleepily.  
  
"I remembered something I have to do," the Dog-Lord said faintly. "And that I need to speak to you about it."  
  
"Now?"  
  
"No, of course not now." The Dog-Lord smiled. "But I will need your help with this, Yoshiko."  
  
"Hmm? How?"  
  
"You'll see." The Dog-Lord stretched himself out beside her. "But don't worry about it beforehand. Just stay close to me." He wound a strand of her hair around his finger. "But it should keep you and the baby safe from now on, if all goes well."  
  
"How?"  
  
"As I said," the Dog-Lord said drowsily. "You'll see."  
  
On impulse, Yoshiko wrapped her arms around the Dog-Lord's chest and hugged him as tightly as she could. He turned around and hugged her in return, letting his fingers trail down her back and tangle in her hair. "I almost lost you once before," he said gravely. "I don't plan to make that mistake again."  
  
Tenderly he rested his arms on her back, drawing her closer to him. Then he felt her stroking his chest in return. "You're becoming too brazen," the Dog-Lord said with mock sternness. Yoshiko feigned a squeal of terror, and pretended to fend him off as he rolled over and embraced her.   
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	31. Union of Souls Chapter 31

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE  
  
.  
  
His father's melancholy mood had nor escaped Sesshomaru's notice. He had spent long days in his chambers, only departing to run across the skies and return late into the night. When Sesshomaru attempted to speak with his father, the elder demon usually avoided the topic of the human girl -- even on the occasions when Sesshomaru acknowledged her.   
  
The girl Yoshiko was no better. Sesshomaru had seen her leaving her chambers with tears on her face. And her maidservants chattered amongst themselves about her weeping and reclusiveness. Something weighed heavily on her mind, but none of them knew what it was.   
  
Perhaps, the younger demon thought, my father has finally tired of his human concubine. If he wishes to cast her off, I will deal with the situation... if he desires it.  
  
"Shall I follow, Lord Sesshomaru?" Jaken asked loudly.  
  
"Remain here," Sesshomaru said, only half-listening.   
  
He slid his father's door open and carefully shut it behind him. The vast chamber was empty, except for a handful of scrolls scattered carelessly near the window. And a red brocaded sash was lying on the floor, as if it had been cast away.  
  
Sesshomaru picked it up. Then he saw the thin silk robes, crumpled on the floor in a pile, like a multicolored flower... and the cream-colored clothing his father always wore. His golden eyes slowly strayed to the side, to the open door that led to his father's bedchamber.   
  
Yoshiko was sleeping in his father's bed. Her long black hair, which was normally smooth, was mussed and tangled; her pale throat was marred by four tiny red fang marks. The silk sheets were pulled up past her breasts, but Sesshomaru could tell that she was naked.  
  
The Dog-Lord was lying beside her, just as unclothed. His strong arms were wrapped around Yoshiko, and one of his hands was resting lightly on her stomach. His timeworn face rested against her smooth one. And even in his sleep he was smiling.   
  
The intimacy of their pose was not lost on Sesshomaru. He didn't involve himself with human girls as his father seemed inclined to, but the events of the previous night would have been obvious even to someone as stupid as Jaken. Evidently Yoshiko had found a way back into his father's good graces. And his bed.  
  
Sesshomaru's golden eyes narrowed as he stared down at the slumbering human girl. His loathing of her -- and the halfbreed creature in her womb -- had never been stronger.   
  
The Dog-Lord stirred and opened his eyes. "Do you have an urgent reason to be in here?" he asked in a low voice.   
  
"No, Father."  
  
"Then allow us some privacy."  
  
Sesshomaru dropped the brocade sash, bowed slightly, and began to leave.  
  
Yoshiko stirred and made a faint groaning sound. The Dog-Lord distracted her by kissing her. As Sesshomaru left, he heard Yoshiko mumble a sleepy question, and the Dog-Lord assure her that nothing was wrong.  
  
Sesshomaru exited the chambers, his face as hard as steel. "Well, milord?" Jaken asked eagerly. "Were you successful? Milord?"  
  
Sesshomaru did not answer. A new thought was beginning to form in his mind, one he had not deigned to entertain before. The affair between Yoshiko and the Dog-Lord had started forbidden and secret. Sesshomaru had assumed that that was the reason his father had first dallied with the girl. He had thought that his father had tired of Yoshiko, now that the novelty of their affair was gone, and their involvement was forbidden by no one. But the previous night, his father had made love to Yoshiko without a second thought.  
  
The young demon's eyes flashed as he realized it. Yoshiko was no mere whim to the Dog-Lord. Somehow, his father had stooped low enough... to fall in love with a weak mortal girl.  
  
.  
  
A kiss on her ear woke Yoshiko up. "Hmm?" she mumbled, opening her eyes. She had been awake for long periods during the night, and now she felt slow and heavy.   
  
"Time to get up," the Dog-Lord said.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"They're coming. We should both be there."  
  
Yoshiko yawned and wrapped herself in the robes by the bed. "My maids were here?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, of course." The Dog-Lord looked out the window, as if waiting for something. "But I thought you might want to sleep awhile longer.  
  
Yoshiko hastily dressed herself -- something she was quickly learning how to do -- and followed the Dog-Lord through the palace. Whenever she asked him what they were doing, he merely said, "You will see."  
  
Sesshomaru and his tiny, green servant Jaken were already standing out on the plateau. Yoshiko shivered and huddled against her husband. She knew that she ought to have some sort of affection -- or at least fondness -- for the Dog-Lord's son, and her baby's brother. But she couldn't. Sesshomaru clearly hated her, and also hated her baby. And Yoshiko couldn't force herself to be fond of him.  
  
The Dog-Lord walked to the very edge of the precipice, his long white hair whipped by the wind. "They're coming," he said.  
  
"Who are?" Yoshiko asked.  
  
He didn't answer. But a moment later, a distant murmur in the sky answered Yoshiko. She saw them flying toward the palace, creeping through the forests, slithering over the ground and walking on two legs. Demons. Hundreds of of them.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	32. Union of Souls Chapter 32

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO  
  
.  
  
Yoshiko gasped and stepped back. She could see them -- hundreds of demons, of every imaginable size and shape. Tiny kitsune foxes, bowing low to the Dog-Lord -- richly-dressed, almost-human demons like her maids -- great wormlike things with distorted human faces -- bats, monstrous birds, lean wolf-clad demons, insects, rats, moths, and... even a few dog-demons as well.   
  
They flew and crawled, roiled, hovered over the precipice and waited for the Dog-Lord to speak. Some of them were shrieking, some were silent. Some stayed at a distance, while others bowed and murmured to the Dog-Lord, the legendary demon who could destroy any of them.  
  
He eyed them all, then turned back and held out his arm to Yoshiko. Timidly, she came toward him. She felt a little safer with his arm around her -- but still, the hundreds of demon eyes were watching her more closely now. "What is this?" she whispered.  
  
The Dog-Lord didn't answer. But his arm tightened around her. "All of you, hear me!" he suddenly shouted. His voice echoed over the empty air, even cutting through the high shrieks.  
  
His face grew grimmer as he continued, "I do not know what your thoughts on humans are in general, but those thoughts have not changed my decisions. In the past few months, I have taken Yoshiko, a princess among humans, as my second wife."  
  
Yoshiko cringed as a deafening roar rose from many of the demons. Some of them just looked startled, but others were shrieking and howling with rage or dismay. Then a thought struck her: Second wife? Then who else...?  
  
Rage flamed up in the Dog-Lord's eyes, and he suddenly bellowed, "SILENCE!"   
  
The angered demons reluctantly obeyed. He clutched Yoshiko more tightly to him, and continued, "Consider yourselves witnesses to this. This human is mine, and I will not give her up. What is more," he added sternly, "I have called every demon in this realm for one reason. Any demon who wishes to harm Yoshiko, or the child in her womb, knows precisely what will happen if they anger me." His eyes flashed scarlet for a moment.  
  
The demons looked at one another, apparently stunned by this ultimatum. The Dog-Lord waited for one of them to speak. When they stayed silent, the Dog-Lord made a dismissive gesture. "I have said everything I needed to say," he said more calmly.   
  
Yoshiko looked up at him. He was still stern and grim-looking, but his eyes softened as he met her gaze. Then he turned and gently steered her back toward the palace. "Sesshomaru, with me," he said.  
  
"Yes, Father," Sesshomaru said quietly.  
  
Yoshiko glanced back at the monstrous tangle of demons. Now some of them were chattering amongst themselves -- most notably the kitsunes and other small, weak demons. The more powerful ones were dispersing, slipping back down the mountainside now that the Dog-Lord had dismissed them. She shivered, and looked back in front.  
  
.  
  
"Sesshomaru, wait for me in my chambers."  
  
"Yes, Father." Sesshomaru quietly walked away, with Jaken tripping after him.   
  
The Dog-Lord waited until his son was gone, then turned to Yoshiko with a faint smile. "That," he said quietly, "is what I needed to do. And I needed to show you to them, so they would know who you were, what you smelled and looked like. Now none of them will dare to harm you."  
  
Yoshiko's eyes flickered. "'Second wife'?" she asked slowly.  
  
The Dog-lord's smile faded. "What?"  
  
"You said I was your second wife. Then... who is your first?"  
  
A vaguely haunted expression crossed the Dog-Lord's face. "It doesn't matter," he said. "I did not tell you, because for many years there has been nothing to tell. I suppose I should have anyhow. If I could -- I would make you my first wife. But know this," he said, clutching her hands tightly. "No other woman holds my heart. And none has as you have, all throughout the centuries."  
  
He hugged Yoshiko for a moment, and kissed her lightly. "You'd better go and sleep," he whispered. "I need to talk to Sesshomaru for awhile."  
  
"All right," Yoshiko said drowsily.   
  
She drifted down the corridor, heading off toward her chambers. The Dog-Lord watched after her for a moment, then sighed heavily. I'd better get it over with, he thought.  
  
Seshomaru was sitting by the window when the Dog-Lord arrived. His eyes narrowed slightly as he smelled Yoshiko's scent, all over his father's chambers. Though the discarded clothing from the previous day had been discreetly taken away, the scent lingered wherever the two had been.  
  
"One day," the Dog-Lord said philosophically, "perhaps I will end up walking in on you and your bride. Then we can consider my revenge complete."  
  
Sesshomaru ignored that. "You wished to speak with me, father?"  
  
"Yes." The Dog-Lord sat down and sighed. "I didn't want to ask you out in the open like that. But I do not wish for you to harm Yoshiko or her child in any way, or to allow any servant of yours to do so." He looked up at his son. "Is that clear?"  
  
"Yes, Father." Sesshomaru's face was expressionless.  
  
For a moment, the Dog-Lord watched his son, thinking. Could it have been Sesshomaru who sent that mountain dog after Yoshiko? Then he swept the thought from his mind. He had no reason to suspect Sesshomaru; disliking Yoshiko did not necessarily mean he had tried to kill her. What was more, this statement was enough to deal with the future. Sesshomaru had never disobeyed the Dog-Lord in anything.  
  
"You can go," the Dog-Lord said. His heart felt heavy at even having to tell his son this.  
  
Sesshomaru bowed and left, his golden eyes flicking back at his powerful father.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	33. Union of Souls Chapter 33

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE  
  
.  
  
"Milord! Very well done!"   
  
A tiny creature bounced up onto the table beside the Dog-Lord. He looked down, vaguely surprised. "Myoga?" the demon rumbled.  
  
"I saw the whole thing," Myoga said enthusiastically, bouncing up and down. "What power! What majesty! What-"  
  
The Dog-Lord's hand slammed down flat on Myoga. The dog-demon sat quietly, listening to the muffled gurgles from between his fingers. Then he slowly raised it, letting the flattened flea float down to the tabletop. "My lord!" Myoga said pitifully. "What did I do to deserve that?"  
  
"What did you do?" the Dog-Lord asked ominously. "I'll tell you what you did. I told you to stay by Yoshiko's side at all times. NOT to run the moment there was the slightest danger, and abandon her and our child."  
  
"My deepest apologies, lord," Myoga groaned.   
  
With a sigh, the Dog-Lord wiped off his fingers. "Did you come here to tell me something?"  
  
"Yes, milord. As a matter of fact, I wished to tell you that a serpent demon has been causing some unrest in the east. It doesn't directly concern you yet, but it is rumored that this demon wishes to overthrow you, sire."  
  
"I see," the Dog-Lord said, frowning. "Keep me informed of this, Myoga. I'll take care of it, if need be."  
  
"Take care of what?" Yoshiko asked, sliding the door open.  
  
The Dog-Lord looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Nothing much. Merely an upstart demon in the east." He frowned. "I thought you were going to rest."  
  
"I was. But I kept thinking about today." She knelt down beside him, and hugged him from behind. After a moment, the Dog-Lord twisted around and held her tightly against him.  
  
"I, er, shall wait outside," Myoga said delicately. The flea sprang off the table and bounced out the door.  
  
The Dog-Lord didn't notice his vassal's departure. He rested his face in Yoshiko's perfumed hair, slowly running his hands over her throat and back. He could feel her unscarred skin, her slender waist and throat, the soft flesh under his clawed fingers. And he thought of how easy it would be for a demon to crush her. He wouldn't let that happen. He had warned all the demons nearby, and would keep her safe...  
  
"Are you all right?" Yoshiko said softly.  
  
"I am now," the Dog-Lord replied.  
  
.  
  
Golden light was flooding the Dog-Lord's chambers, through the open windows. A cool breeze was seeping in, ruffling Yoshiko's hair as she watched her husband slumbering beside her. He had fallen asleep not long after she had arrived, and now she was relaxing with him, waiting for him to wake up.  
  
Yoshiko looked up as one of her maids came in, and bowed hastily. "Milady.... I'm sorry, but the door was open. Will you be returning to your chambers tonight?"  
  
"No, Iako," Yoshiko said softly. "I will stay here tonight."  
  
As the maid withdrew and shut the door, Yoshiko glanced lazily out the window. The sun was about to set. Then she rolled over and looked at the Dog-Lord's peaceful face. Something seemed to be troubling him, and she wasn't sure what it was...  
  
Then suddenly she sat up and gasped.  
  
"What?" the Dog-Lord said, jerking awake. "Huh? What?"  
  
Yoshiko couldn't answer. A strange pulsing was rippling through her body -- the same feeling that she had had, a few nights before leaving her old home. But now the trembling pulse in her womb was more powerful than before. Fear shot through Yoshiko. What was happening?   
  
"What's wrong? Yoshiko?" the Dog-Lord said quickly, pressing his hands over her belly. "Tell me what's wrong!"  
  
"I don't know," Yoshiko gasped, clutching at his fingers. "It's... I don't know..."  
  
"The baby?"  
  
"I think so," Yoshiko said, trying to hold back her tears. The Dog-Lord was staring at her with fear in his eyes -- fear that their unborn baby was dying, and he wasn't able to do anything to stop it.   
  
Then a strange expression crossed his face. "Have you ever felt this before?" he asked slowly.  
  
Yoshiko nodded, biting her lip. The strange pulsing was dying down, but she didn't know if it was good or bad.   
  
"When?"  
  
"J-just before I left with you. I felt it twice -- I didn't know what it meant, and neither did Myoga..."  
  
"When did it happen?"  
  
"Once right around sunset... and once early in the morning."  
  
The Dog-Lord's golden eyes narrowed. "Was there a moon that night?" he asked softly.  
  
"I-I don't think so. No, there wasn't. I was scared for the baby, and I didn't sleep that night. I remember thinking that there wasn't any moon outside."  
  
The Dog-Lord's face softened with relief. "There's nothing to be worried about, then," he said quietly, drawing her down onto the bedding beside him. "It's simply transforming into a human."  
  
"Human?" Yoshiko asked blankly.  
  
"It's half human. Every child born with half demon blood and half human blood will change into a human during a certain time. From what you've told me, our child's time is between sunset and sunrise, on the night when the moon is dark. At sunrise, he'll transform back into a half-demon again, until a month from now."   
  
Yoshiko felt the last flickers die away inside her. She glanced over at the window, where the sun was just vanishing behind the mountains. Relief flooded through her. "I was afraid..."  
  
"So was I, for a moment," the Dog-Lord said quietly. "But so long as that happens, it means that the baby is alive and well. Don't worry now -- just rest, for the baby's sake." He paused. "And Yoshiko...."  
  
"Hmm? What?" the human girl asked softly.  
  
"Don't let anyone know when the baby transforms," the Dog-Lord said. "It could endanger him when he's much older."  
  
"I won't." Yoshiko closed her eyes and snuggled against his chest. The Dog-Lord smiled softly, resting his cheek against her head. One of his hands strayed down to her stomach. I'll keep you both safe, no matter what, he thought fiercely. No matter what.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	34. Union of Souls Chapter 34

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR  
  
.  
  
Three months passed, more or less peacefully.  
  
Yoshiko had slowly accustomed herself to her new life, her new home. Sometimes she felt overwhelmed and homesick again, and cried herself to sleep in her husband's arms. At times she felt overwhelmed with misery, for reasons she didn't even know.  
  
Sesshomaru stayed far away from Yoshiko, even in the same palace. He was often away as well, and Yoshiko suspected that he did so just to avoid her. She didn't mind that -- Sesshomaru seemed to disdain her even more, as her pregnancy progressed. And Yoshiko tried unsuccessfully to cultivate some kind of liking for her stepson -- and failed. Something about him frightened her -- the sense that his coldness wasn't just on the outside.   
  
On the days when he was away, she spent time in the lush garden the Dog-Lord had made for her, and waited for him to return. She had ventured a few times out of the palace, and into the valleys below. But she felt safer in the palace gardens.  
  
Her maids added to the oddness of her new life. The three maidservants that the Dog-Lord had given her lacked Sesshomaru's haughtiness. Though the idea of serving a human girl seemed bizarre to them at first, they treated Yoshiko like a fragile statue that might break. After all, the child she was bearing was the Dog-Lord's.   
  
And the Dog-Lord's baby had started kicking shortly after Myoga returned. At first it was just a faint fluttering, but now it was kicking hard. And frequently. Yoshiko was having trouble sleeping because of her baby's constant kicking and squirming. And at sunrise and sunset, on the night when the moon was dark, she felt that strange pulsing, only it was stronger every time. Now that she knew it wasn't dangerous, she just sat up and groaned faintly, waiting for the strange feeling to pass.   
  
But despite these things, she felt peaceful at times, in a way she hadn't ever before.  
  
.  
  
A roar rang out through the skies, making the trees shiver and the birds fly away in fright. An enormous dark shape raced down from the clouds, transforming as it descended. When the light faded away, the Dog-Lord was walking swiftly back to his palace.  
  
In the Dog-Lord's chambers, Yoshiko was sitting by the window. She smiled as her husband passed by, letting her know that he was coming. Then she looked down, smiling fondly. Her slender hands smoothed down her voluminous robes over her belly. She began to hum a lullaby, still caressing the baby she couldn't hold yet.  
  
Yoshiko winced as she felt another kick. He kicked hard enough that she sometimes wondered if it was trying to kick out of her. She smoothed a hand over her belly. "Settle down in there," she whispered.  
  
The door slid open. "Yoshiko?" the Dog-Lord called.  
  
Yoshiko slowly got to her feet. She was still slender, except for her stomach -- and it was making her feel clumsy and heavy. She took a few steps toward the Dog-Lord before he hugged her tightly. "How are you feeling?" he asked quietly.  
  
"Tired..."  
  
"Didn't you sleep last night?"  
  
"I tried. But every time I fell asleep, the baby started kicking again." Yoshiko put his hand on her waist. "Do you think he's all right?"  
  
"I'm sure he's just energetic," the Dog-Lord murmured.   
  
They walked quietly in the gardens. Yoshiko rested her head on her husband's shoulder, letting him support her for a little while. As she sank down beside the flowerbeds, she felt a watery squirm inside her. "He's doing it again," she muttered, pressing a hand down.   
  
"He?" the Dog-Lord said, sprawling out beside her on the grass. "It's a boy?"  
  
"I don't know for sure," Yoshiko said, slightly embarrassed. "I just... I hope it's a boy."  
  
He looked puzzled. "Does that matter to you?"  
  
"No, it... it doesn't matter to me. But..." Yoshiko avoided his eyes. "I don't want the baby to be... well, I don't want him to be... left behind by Sesshomaru... since this baby will be the younger one, and he's the eldest..."  
  
"I understand." The Dog-Lord rested his head on her shoulder. "But you don't need to worry. Boy or girl, I'll make sure everything will be fine."  
  
Grateful, Yoshiko kissed her husband's cheek. She believed him. For a moment she looked at his face, thinking of what a magnificent husband he was, what a tender lover. And he wuld be just as good a father to her baby, she knew.  
  
They were just sinking into another kiss when a high, croaking voice called, "M-milord?"  
  
The Dog-Lord broke off in irritation. "What is it?" he snapped.  
  
Jaken jumped back a step, quivering with fear. "M-milord, Lord Sesshomaru wishes to speak with you," he quavered. "H-he says it's urgent."  
  
The Dog-Lord sighed. "If I didn't know better, I would have thought he had timed that," he said darkly. He glared at Jaken. "Get out of here. Tell Sesshomaru that I'll be with him in a moment."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	35. Union of Souls Chapter 35

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE  
  
.  
  
"You're certain?" the Dog-Lord asked.  
  
"Yes, Father," Sesshomaru said quietly. His golden eyes watched his father's impassive face. "I even sent Jaken to verify it for me."  
  
"So this snake demon lord is hoping to oppose me," the Dog-Lord said, drumming his claws on the tabletop. "He thinks that if he raises a horde of powerful demons, he can cast me down and take my place."  
  
"It is because of your human girl," Sesshomaru said in a neutral voice.   
  
"What about her?"  
  
"Since the day you spoke openly about her, the serpent thinks it proof that you are weakened in mind, if you took a human girl as your lover."  
  
"Wife. Not just lover."  
  
"If that is what you say."  
  
"Do YOU think I am weakened?" the Dog-Lord asked suddenly.  
  
Sesshomaru drew back slightly. "No, Father."  
  
"Good," the Dog-Lord said bluntly. "At least I have that assurance, that my own son doesn't think I'm senile yet. I don't know why you act as you do about Yoshiko. As you said, who I take to my bed is my own choice. And who I have a child with is my own choice. So long as you're not disinherited, I can't see why you'd be so childish about my having another son or daughter."  
  
Sesshomaru stayed quiet, accepting his father's rebuke coldly.  
  
The Dog-Lord took a deep breath, and seemed to soften. "If you hear anything more, tell me," he said. "I value what you have found. You have done very well."  
  
"Thank you, Father."  
  
The Dog-Lord walked quickly back to his chambers, thinking, I can't keep any sort of peace between Sesshomaru and Yoshiko. He had thought that perhaps Sesshomaru would soften up to Yoshiko after awhile. But if anything, he disliked her more. How am I supposed to balance out my two families? he thought darkly.   
  
He opened the door, and was surprised to see Yoshiko kneeling near the window. "I would have thought you would be in your own rooms," he said, shutting it behind him.  
  
Yoshiko smiled. "I didn't feel like going back just yet."  
  
The Dog-Lord smiled slightly, and knelt down behind his wife. Her hair was long enough to reach past her knees, and when she sat it pooled around her. He ran his long, rough fingers through it, starting just to relax now that she was near.  
  
"What was Sesshomaru talking to you about?" Yoshiko suddenly asked.  
  
"It wasn't you," the Dog-Lord said, closing his eyes and resting his head against her neck.  
  
Yoshiko said, sounding embarrassed, "I-I didn't mean to... I beg your pardon..."  
  
"No need to," the Dog-Lord said wearily. "But it wasn't a problem, Yoshiko. He called me to talk about that damned upstart demon." He paused. "Did you know you smell like flowers?"  
  
"I put some in my hair a little while ago."  
  
"Ah, that explains it," the Dog-Lord murmured. He gently turned her to him, and studied her face. She was paler and thinner, since her pregnancy hadn't been an easy one. It made her dark eyes look larger, and her skin more fragile. She was still slender, except for her belly. In recent months, she looked less like a young girl, and more of a woman. He stroked his hand down her cheek, watching her eyes flicker in the dimming light.  
  
"What's wrong?" Yoshiko asked.  
  
"Nothing," the Dog-Lord said, hugging her tightly.   
  
They lingered together for the rest of the afternoon. The Dog-Lord told Yoshiko about what he had seen in the far mountains of the north. He felt slightly better at her wide-eyed attentiveness. It reminded him of those nights they had spent under the willow tree, back before their lives had been thrown into turmoil.   
  
As the sun set, Yoshiko was arranging a bowl of blossoms from the gardens. She had tucked one behind her ear, and the Dog-Lord kept glancing back at the pretty picture she made. If she was in any way unhappy, she didn't show it.  
  
Though she might hide it from me, he thought. She knows how much I want her happiness. Perhaps I should ask her maids...  
  
He sat down behind her and rested his chin on her neck. Her hair still smelled like flowers. "You should do this more often," he growled into her hair. "I like it."  
  
"Like what?" Yoshiko said coyly.  
  
"Flowers. The way you smell." His claws caught in the silk of her kimonos, as he started to kiss her ear. Then he stopped as she stiffened. She carefully placed the flowers in the bowl, and turned toward him.   
  
"Are you happy with me?" the Dog-Lord asked soberly.  
  
"You keep asking that," Yoshiko said, resting her head on his chest. "Why?"  
  
"Because I think about your tears, that first night after I brought you here."  
  
"I'm not crying now," Yoshiko said softly. She stroked back his ivory hair, and kissed him demurely. As the Dog-Lord kissed her in return, more heatedly, it occurred to him that her pregnancy wasn't the only change wrought in her in the past months. She now no longer kept her eyes down when he spoke to her, she kissed him freely, and she came to his chambers when she wanted to see him, rather than waiting for his notice. She was bolder and brighter, without losing the sweetness that had first made him love her.  
  
As she paused for breath, Yoshiko murmured, "What are you thinking about?"  
  
The Dog-Lord smiled and rested his cheek against hers. "You."  
  
.  
  
They spent the hours of the night alone, entwined in one another, breaking the silence with muffled cries and laughter, moans and quiet growls. Time seeped away into the night, as if the sun would never rise and the half-moon never set. Then there were stretches of quiet, where they simply clung to one another, resting from their exertions, listening to one another breathe.   
  
Yoshiko opened her eyes long enough to look at the Dog-Lord. He was lying on his side with his arm stretched out under her, his eyes staring out at the stars. His long white hair was tangled in hers. In the flickering lamplight, his face looked ageless and noble. And beautiful.  
  
I hope... our baby... is like him, she thought as she fell asleep.  
  
The Dog-Lord hugged her closer while she slept. He was troubled by the news of this upstart demon trying to attack him. The Dog-Lord wasn't a fool -- he knew he wasn't invulnerable. And one day, perhaps he would encounter a demon powerful enough to destroy him.  
  
And if that happened, what would happen to Yoshiko and their child?  
  
He sighed. I can't depend on Sesshomaru to care for them, he thought. But at the same time, I don't know the best way to protect them...  
  
A glint in the darkness caught his eye. It was his centuries-old sword, the tarnished blade half out of its scabbard. The Dog-Lord wondered whether he should go put it away. Then he had a sudden flash of insight -- the answer was so simple.  
  
"That's it!" he shouted, sitting up.  
  
"Uh?" Yoshiko mumbled sleepily. She rolled over, clutching the sheets to her body. "Huh? What? What is it?"  
  
"Nothing," the Dog-Lord said hastily. "It's nothing. Go back to sleep."  
  
The human girl yawned and did as he said. The Dog-Lord stayed sitting, staring out the window at the windswept mountains. And he thought of Sesshomaru, of his unborn son or daughter, and what it would take to keep everyone he loved safe, even if he was gone.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	36. Union of Souls Chapter 36

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX  
  
.  
  
"I will not be returning for at least a week," the Dog-Lord said, shrugging on his fire-rat cloak. "Take my place during that time."  
  
Sesshomaru stared at his father. "Where are you going?"  
  
"I can't tell you just yet."  
  
The younger demon's face was still impassive, but a hint of annoyance was starting to show. "Father," he said in a low voice. "This is not a suitable time for you to leave. With that rebellious demon rising in the north-"  
  
"And that," the Dog-Lord said briskly, "is why this is the ideal time. You won't understand yet, Sesshomaru. But I did consider that." He looked his son in the face. "Do you think you can manage in my absence?"  
  
"Yes, Father." Sesshomaru looked less tense now. "If you believe that now is the correct time."  
  
"I do. And what is more," the Dog-Lord said warmly, "I think you are well-suited to do this in my absence."  
  
.  
  
"You're going?" Yoshiko asked, concerned. "But you didn't say anything before this morning."  
  
"I only decided last night." The Dog-Lord looked out the window of his chambers. Behind him, Yoshiko was stroking her stomach absently, as if to comfort herself. "Last night, I was trying to think. I was thinking about Sesshomaru, and his dislike for our child. And what might happen to you and the baby if I were to ever die."  
  
Yoshiko gasped softly.  
  
"Sesshomaru isn't pleased about the child," the Dog-Lord continued. "And if the baby is anything like me, he or she won't take that sort of dislike lying down. It's inevitable." He sighed. "He lacks compassion. And the baby will lack his power. What I have planned might help... balance things."  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"To someone who can give me what I need. Don't worry about me." He hugged her gently. "I won't be gone for long."  
  
She raised her face. "Can I come with you?"  
  
"No. I would bring you with me if I could. But where I am going, no human could survive."  
  
He thought of her face as he raced away from the palace, to a secluded mountain rent by a destructive blast long ago. She was worried about him, and uneasy about staying with Sesshomaru. But in the long run, this would be far better for her and the baby.  
  
There was another reason he wanted to do this. The baby would be half-human, but his strong, power-filled blood would run in its veins. Blood that would drive a human mad. And a half-human? He wasn't sure, but he suspected that in the future, when the baby was grown, it might be a very serious problem, if measures weren't taken to keep it from being a problem...  
  
He raced down from the sky. The crags were marred by a giant crater, as if an enormous hand had scooped away the peak. Why anyone would live there was beyond the Dog-Lord's understanding -- it was a hellish place. As he transformed back, he glanced around. Seething, hot, humid, and stinking of sulfur and ash. He snorted softly and covered his nose.  
  
The Dog-Lord walked quickly over the narrow paths through the lava and bogs, looking for any sign of the one person who lived here. A speck suddenly sprang out of his breastplate. "Milord, perhaps he no longer lives here," Myoga said.  
  
"He's still here. I can smell him," the Dog-Lord said.  
  
He stepped over the half-melted bones of some unfortunate demon, and headed for an enormous skeleton. The wide-open jaws served as a kind of doorway. Inside, he could see flames blasting over an anvil, and a huddled figure with an enormous hammer.  
  
Suddenly the flames stopped. "Who is it?" a gravelly voice called.  
  
The Dog-Lord stepped inside, and drew himself up. "I am the Great Dog-Demon of the west," he rumbled. "And I assume you are Totosai."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	37. Union of Souls Chapter 37

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN  
  
.  
  
"Of course I am." Totosai plucked at his scraggly beard. "Great Dog-Demon, eh? I've heard of you. A lot, in fact. So, why have you come all this way to see me, hmm?"   
  
"I need a sword," the Dog-Lord said.  
  
"That's usually why people come to see a swordsmith," Totosai said archly. He blew out his cheeks, then spewed fire over the half-finished blade in front of him. "I'm not sure why. Unless I'm mistaken, you already have an excellent sword."  
  
The Dog-Lord rested a hand on his sword's hilt. "Not for me. For my child."  
  
"And why can't this whelp of yours come to see me himself?"  
  
"Because it isn't born yet," the Dog-Lord said bluntly. Totosai was starting to grate on his nerves. "And my son -- or daughter -- will need a sword for the future."  
  
"Well, hopefully," Totosai added thoughtfully. "Not the near future, though. I have yet to see a baby who needs a sword." He brought his hammer down on the red-hot blade.  
  
The Dog-Lord crossed his arms. "Tell me, old man. I have heard that you forge blades from the bones and teeth of demons, and that their power is then bestowed on whoever uses the sword."  
  
"Well, some of the power," Totosai said thoughtfully. "Not all of it, but a skilled swordsmith can direct that power into.... well, certain attacks." He blinked his bulbous eyes. "I presume you'd want such a sword for your unborn whelp."  
  
"Yes. Could you use a dog fang?"  
  
"Well, if it was powerful enough-"  
  
The Dog-Lord reached into his mouth. There was a loud cracking sound, and he pulled a bloodied fang from between his lips without even wincing. "Use this," he said, sounding slightly slurred. He slapped it on the anvil beside the glowing sword. "I want the finest sword that you can forge -- and I want it to be as powerful as you can safely make it. Give it attacks that will rival my power, if the one wielding it has enough skill."  
  
"Hmm." Totosai picked up the fang. "I'll do what I can."  
  
.  
  
"It's a boy, I'm telling you! I checked the stars and they say-"  
  
"I've already checked the way my mother did for me, and I say it's a girl."  
  
It was times like this that Yoshiko wished her maidservants were a little less affectionate. Iako and Yaniko had taken a passionate interest in whether her unborn child was a boy or a girl. Now they bickered virtually every day about their different ways of telling. "If the mother wept the night she made love, it's a girl" or "if it kicks every morning at dawn, it's a boy" were only two of the dubious claims they made.  
  
I would have to have twins to satisfy them both, Yoshiko thought. Her baby kicked, making her wince.  
  
"Are you in pain, milady?" Rusiko asked.   
  
"No, I'm fine," Yoshiko said. She stretched out on a low futon piled with cushions, watching the garden through her window. Rusiko was the only one who didn't make any guesses. She said that the fortune-telling methods were silly, and that Lady Yoshiko would give birth to a boy or girl as the gods pleased. The important thing, in her mind, was that the baby was sired by the Dog-Lord.  
  
"Kick once for a boy," Yoshiko whispered, "twice for a girl."  
  
The baby gave her one hard kick. She hoped that was a sign.  
  
Then she stiffened. A tiny figure holding a top-heavy staff was skittering in, glaring at her. "Lord Sesshomaru will be leaving tonight, and not return to the palace until his lord father returns in a week's time," Jaken said loudly.  
  
Yoshiko relaxed a little. She still felt uneasy around Sesshomaru -- mostly because she somehow felt that he had been behind the attack on her by that enormous dog. There was no proof. He had never said anything to make her think so. But somehow, whenever she thought of him, she felt cold.  
  
"Don't think it for a moment!" Jaken suddenly squawked.  
  
"Think what?"  
  
"That your halfbreed child can hope to replace Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken said, wagging his staff at her. "I know your kind, and I know what you're after."  
  
"I didn't plan on this baby," Yoshiko said soberly. "And I never even thought about having it replace your master." She pressed a hand to her stomach.  
  
"Hah!" Jaken spluttered. "Don't expect much from it. Most half-human children are born monstrous. You'll be lucky if it -"  
  
A small pot crashed down on Jaken's head. As Rusiko stalked toward him, the green servant squawked and raced out, tripping once or twice. The maid slammed the door shut behind him. Then she rushed to Yoshiko's side. "Don't let him bother you," she said anxiously.  
  
But all the color drained from Yoshiko's face. "Was what he said true?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Was what true?"  
  
"About... half-human children."  
  
Rusiko avoided her mistress's eyes. "Well... not MOST of them. Some halfbreeds aren't... well, quite as they should be. Not exactly monstrous, but... not normal either.... er, I'm sure it won't be a problem for you, milady. I'll fetch some tea."  
  
Yoshiko took a shaky breath. "Thank you, Rusiko."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	38. Union of Souls Chapter 38

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT  
  
.  
  
"How much longer?" the Dog-Lord growled.   
  
"When it's finished," Totosai responded, spewing more flames over the sword in front of him.  
  
The heat in Totosai's cave was almost overwhelming, even for the Dog-Lord. He could be bathed in flames, but he hated simply standing there for a few days as the heat shimmered around him. But he didn't want to leave -- he wanted to see Totosai finish the red-hot sword in front of him, which was slowly taking shape.  
  
Finally Totosai dropped the sword in a vat of water. Steam poured over the edges. "There we are. Finished!" he said triumphantly. "My best work, if I do say so myself."  
  
The old demon held out the sword, and the Dog-Lord took it. It looked like an ordinary katana. But as he took hold of the hilt, it transformed into a long, gleaming fang. He took a few experimental swipes, feeling the sword almost clinging to his fingers. He started to smile.  
  
"I thought that the transformation would be a good idea," Totosai said, crossing his arms. "Makes it easier to store."  
  
The Dog-Lord walked out into the crater, avoiding pools of lava and dead scum. Then he held up the sword in front of him. "Er, what are you doing?" Totosai called after him. "Don't do that here-"  
  
The Dog-Lord swung the sword with his right hand. A shock shook the ground, and lines of white-hot light blasted across the ground, ripping up the rocks and lava, before crashing into the far cliffside. A great cloud of dust settled before the Dog-Lord could see what had happened. The cliff was gone -- in its place was a pile of broken rocks and pebbles.  
  
The Dog-Lord's smile widened as he looked down at the sword in his hand. His own fang, reforged into one of the mightiest blades he had ever seen -- even one-handed. As powerful as a demon lord, and hard as iron. Iron Fang. "Tetsusaiga," he whispered.   
  
"Don't do that again," Totosai said loudly. "I have to live here, remember!"  
  
"You've done well, Totosai," the Dog-Lord said, turning around. "The Tetsusaiga is everything I hoped for."  
  
"Tetsusaiga, huh?" Totosai pondered. "Iron fang. Not a bad name, although a little obvious for my taste. Well, you have what you came for."  
  
"Not quite." The Dog-Lord looked at the blade, and it transformed back. "I have another thing for you to do."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
The Dog-Lord sighed heavily. Then he stuck two fingers into his mouth. Totosai winced as another loud crack rang out, and the Dog-Lord stoically produced another fang. "I want another sword made for my elder child, Sesshomaru," he said. "But one entirely different from Tetsusaiga."  
  
"Entirely different in what way?" Totosai asked warily, picking up the fang. "You mean you want it to have no power?"  
  
The Dog-Lord smiled painfully. "I want it to have power, no doubt about it. But I want it to be a sword that cannot injure or kill." His golden eyes flashed. "Give it the power to restore the souls of the dead, and to heal those who are dying."  
  
Totosai's eyes widened. "Bring back dead souls?"  
  
The Dog-Lord's eyes narrowed. "I have my reasons for wanting Sesshomaru to have such a sword. Can you do it?"  
  
Totosai frowned down at the fang in his hand. "I can certainly try. I can't promise I'll be successful, though. This isn't like anything I've ever been asked to do before..."  
  
"Good. Get to work," the Dog-Lord said bluntly.   
  
Totosai set down the fang on the anvil, and began spewing fire over it. The Dog-Lord sat down nearby, with the Tetsusaiga across his knees. He could feel it vibrating gently as his hands touched it, as if it recognized the demon it had first come from. He would have it enspelled later, so that Sesshomaru could never take it. And so, if it was necessary, his unborn child's blood would be kept under control when he was ready....  
  
The Dog-Lord winced. Then he licked the raw gap inside his mouth. "I'm certainly glad I won't have to do this again," he muttered.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	39. Union of Souls Chapter 39

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE  
  
.  
  
"You've done well, Totosai," the Dog-Lord said, holding the second sword up to the light. Steam was still rising from the new blade.  
  
"I have surpassed myself, it's true," Totosai said proudly. "It's a magnificent sword. I had my doubts -- its power is equalled only by the Tetsusaiga, and it's unlike any sword I've ever heard of. One to deal death, the other to deal life. Strange idea."  
  
The Dog-Lord smiled slightly. The second sword felt good in his hand, as if it, like the Tetsusaiga, recognized his touch. He didn't plan to tell Sesshomaru what its powers were, until... well, he didn't plan to tell him for a long time. I'll need to find scabbards for these, he   
  
"I considered a possible name for it," Totosai said, stroking his scraggly beard. "'Coffin-Cheater' seems right, considering its power."  
  
The Dog-Lord didn't even blink. "Tenseiga."  
  
"Whatever you prefer," Totosai said, shrugging. "Just don't let your younger child play with the Tetsusaiga. Once it's born, that is. It'll be asking for trouble, if you ask me."  
  
The Dog-Lord followed Totosai out into the open. A very alert-looking, three-eyed ox was standing beside the old swordsmith's home. Totosai hopped onto the ox's back cross-legged, with his hammer resting on his shoulder. "Farewell, Dog-Lord. If there is any problem with the swords, don't bring them back to me immediately."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I'm off to rest and recover -- I've never done so much work all at once, and so quickly," he said tersely. "Six days and nights of forging such powerful blades. I'm worn out."  
  
The ox seemed to dissolve into a blast of lightning, and Totosai was gone.  
  
.  
  
The Dog-Lord walked through the forests, his keen eyes glancing over the ground. Finally he encountered what he was looking for -- a dead bird, tangled in thorny vines. It had become ensnared, and as it thrashed in a panic, its heart had stopped. Its fear had killed it.   
  
The Dog-Lord slashed the vines down. Then he held out the Tenseiga over the bird. A faint pulsing came from the blade, just before he brought it down. A flash of light enveloped the bird as he swung it through the lifeless body. Then he stepped back, waiting.  
  
For a moment, nothing happened. The Dog-Lord's grip on the Tenseiga tightened. Had Totosai failed to imbue it with the power he had been ordered to? What had gone wrong?  
  
Then suddenly the bird quivered, flapped its wings, and hopped up. It flew away into the trees, twittering frantically. Not only was it alive, it didn't even have any blood from the thorns.  
  
"Perfect," the Dog-Lord murmured.  
  
He raced across the skies for a long time, until he reached the mountaintop palace. As he strode inside, he found Sesshomaru waiting for him. "Welcome back, Father," the younger demon said. His eyes flicked down to the two unsheathed swords in his father's hands.  
  
"Sesshomaru," the Dog-Lord said calmly. "My errand was to have these two swords made -- the Tetsusaiga and the Tenseiga. Some time in the future, I will give you one sword. Your brother -- or sister -- will receive the other." His voice deepened. "These two swords are made from my own fangs, forged by the swordsmith Totosai, and so contain a great deal of the power I have. Do not take such a thing lightly."  
  
"I will not, Father." Sesshomaru appeared satisfied by this future gift.  
  
If there is any danger to Yoshiko, the Dog-Lord thought as he walked on, I'll use the Tetsusaiga right away. He turned into his wife's chambers, and found her sitting near the window, resting on some cushions. Her maidservants were playing soft music for her.  
  
"Welcome home," Yoshiko said, as the Dog-Lord bent to kiss her. "How do you feel?" he growled softly.  
  
"Fat," Yoshiko said darkly.  
  
He gestured for the maids to go, and waited until the door was closed to kiss his wife more deeply. But for the first time, Yoshiko winced and pushed him away. "What happened?" she asked. "Your lips taste like blood."  
  
The Dog-Lord smiled slightly. "Something unpleasant. Look at this." He rested the Tetsusaiga against her, with the dull blade touching her belly. "This is the Tetsusaiga -- the sword our child will one day own. It was forged out of one of my fangs. And that," he added dryly, "is why my lips taste like blood."  
  
"Your fangs...?"  
  
"Don't worry, they grew back."  
  
Yoshiko looked down at the sword. "Why?"  
  
"Two reasons. One of them isn't important now." The Dog-Lord didn't want to tell Yoshiko about the possibility of their child being overwhelmed by his powerful demon blood. Her pregnancy had been a difficult one, and he didn't want to make her worry. "But the main reason is that while our child will be as strong or stronger than most demons, despite his human blood... but he will never be as strong as Sesshomaru."  
  
Yoshiko stared at him with wide eyes.   
  
"Yes, I think one day they'll come to blows," the Dog-Lord said softly. "Especially if I'm not here to stop them. Sesshomaru obeys me in all things, but if I were to die, he would be free to do as he pleased. If anything happens to me, then you and our child will be safe from any demon alive, if our child has the Tetsusaiga in its hands.   
  
"What's more... if I were to die, then it means that a part of me would always be with you and our child, and that even in death I could protect you both." He ran his fingers down the side of her face.  
  
Yoshiko threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "I don't want that to happen," she whispered.  
  
"Nor do I," the Dog-Lord said softly, wiping her tears from her eyes. He felt a sharp pain in his heart, at the sorrow he was bringing the woman he loved. "And I will do my best to make sure that it does not come to pass."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	40. Union of Souls Chapter 40

CHAPTER FORTY  
  
.  
  
"I understand, milord," Myoga said.  
  
"Good." The Dog-Lord sat back. "So report to me if you find anything -- anything at all."  
  
"Yes, milord."   
  
"And if you run away like the coward you are one more time, I'll squash you myself."  
  
"Milord!" Myoga wailed.   
  
"I still haven't forgotten, flea," the Dog-Lord said ominously.  
  
Flustered, the flea sighed and wiped his brow. "Anyhow, milord, I will do my best to infiltrate this serpent demon's lair, wherever that might be. It may take some time, but I shall succeed." He paused. "May I ask why you chose me, milord?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious?"  
  
"Because of my long service? My loyalty?"  
  
"It's because you're small, Myoga," the Dog-Lord said dryly. "You could creep in on a mouse, if you had to."  
  
"I hope not," Myoga said pensively. "I don't like the taste of mouse." He bowed to his lord, then hopped off the tabletop and out the door. The Dog-Lord looked after him, thinking. He just hoped that Myoga returned with little to tell him.  
  
It couldn't come at a worse time, he thought.  
  
.  
  
"It looks so quiet," Yoshiko said softly. As she walked to the window, she drew a thin sheet up over her body.   
  
The Dog-Lord rested his head on his hand. "You don't have to do that. No one could see you through the window." He smiled softly. "Besides, I want to see you as you are."  
  
He let his eyes linger on her for a moment. Then he rose from his bedding, slipping silently to stand behind the human girl. He rested his chin on her head, pulling the sheet from her hands and letting it fall. Instead, his arms clothed her. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly.  
  
"What makes you think that?"  
  
"I know. Tell me."  
  
"Jaken... was here a few days ago."  
  
The Dog-Lord growled softly. "All right, what did that wretched creature say?"  
  
"He said... that most half-demon babies were born monstrous, and that-"  
  
"Not 'most,'" the Dog-Lord interjected fiercely. "And Yoshiko... I've seen half-demon children that were... ill-favored. Not monstrous, though hardly beauties either." He sighed heavily. "Besides, such children are born to lesser demons, those with little power."  
  
The Dog-Lord didn't say what they were both thinking -- that he was among the most powerful demons alive, rivaled only by a few, and was worshiped as a god by some humans. But he felt Yoshiko relax against him, and cling to his arms like a child reassured by its parent. "Don't worry," he said softly, stroking her dark hair.  
  
Yoshiko nodded, with tears in her eyes. Though she knew it was ridiculous, she still felt terrified that her child would end up being "ill favored." She struggled to put those thoughts away. He gently picked her up and carried her back to the bedding, and drew the silk sheets over her rounded stomach.   
  
And Yoshiko felt somehow soothed as he slid into the bed beside her, watching her with wide soft eyes. He looked happier and more vulnerable at night, when no one was watching. In the night hours, she saw sides of him that no one else saw -- not merely because he had taken her to his bed. But because he told her things that he told no one else: His doubts. His fears. His weaknesses. The times when he had striven and failed. The mighty Dog-Lord trusted her enough. He whispered those things in the night when no one else heard, and Yoshiko locked his words away in her soul.   
  
The Dog-Lord sighed. "I'll tell Sesshomaru to shut Jaken's mouth tomorrow. It shouldn't be hard. He annoys my son almost as much as he annoys me."  
  
"Mmmm..."  
  
"Are you tired?"  
  
"Mm-hm."  
  
The demon smiled and snuggled down beside her.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	41. Union of Souls Chapter 41

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE  
  
.  
  
Myoga paused outside the Dog-Lord's door. "Oh dear," he said.  
  
He could hear rustling and giggling from inside, and the throaty growl that meant the Dog-Lord was laughing as well. Myoga managed to open the door a crack, then hopped inside. He tried to avert his eyes, out of respect.  
  
The Dog-Lord and Yoshiko were tussling playfully, kicking at the sheets as they clutched and kissed one another, feigning a fight. As Myoga approached, the Dog-Lord pretended to bite Yoshiko's throat, but his fangs were only grazing her skin. The human girl went limp, still giggling.  
  
"Er, milord?" Myoga piped up.  
  
The Dog-Lord sat up instantly. Beside him, Yoshiko propped herself up on her elbows, blinking in surprise. "Myoga," the demon said growing irritation. "Remember, after last time we talked about this. When I am with Yoshiko in my chambers, it means-"  
  
"I understand, milord," Myoga quavered. "And I assure you, I never would-"  
  
The Dog-Lord's golden eyes narrowed. "Something has happened."  
  
"Yes, milord. I came as soon as I could, and I didn't dare wait until you came out of your chambers."  
  
The Dog-Lord tensed. "Tell me."  
  
"The serpent demon has massed many other demons -- most not terribly powerful, but all quite numerous. They will arrive here in three days' time, and they hope to overrun this palace and destroy you, milord."  
  
For a moment, there was silence. Then the Dog-Lord jumped up and began dressing himself quickly. "Is Sesshomaru in the palace?" he asked Myoga.  
  
"I believe he is, milord."  
  
"SESSHOMARU!" the Dog-Lord bellowed, striding out of the room. The door slammed shut behind him. "SESSHOMARU!"  
  
Yoshiko sat up in bed, straightening her undergown. "What's happening?" she asked Myoga, pressing a hand to her belly. "Myoga, quickly, tell me what's going on!"  
  
.  
  
"I did warn you of this, Father."  
  
"Yes, you did. And I haven't been idle since receiving your warning." The Dog-Lord sat down and looked over at Sesshomaru and Yoshiko. "Myoga came to tell me just this morning, after I sent him off to learn more a few months ago."  
  
Sesshomaru's face stayed impassive, but Yoshiko could detect him drawing slightly away from her, as if afraid she would contaminate him. "What is your next decision, Father?"  
  
"You and I will make a stand on the broken mountain, several miles from here," the Dog-Lord said slowly. "You know the place?"  
  
"I do."  
  
"Very good. Then you know its advantages," the Dog-Lord said. He slowly turned to Yoshiko, and his eyes softened. The human girl was standing nervously near the window, resting her hands on her stomach. Her glance darted from Sesshomaru to the Dog-Lord as she grew more worried.  
  
"Yoshiko will be sent to a Buddhist monastery in the neighboring valley," the Dog-Lord continued quietly. "They are required to give shelter to those who are traveling through. She will be safer there for the time being." He sat down, looking at his second wife.  
  
"And what if the baby...?" Yoshiko said faintly.  
  
"The abbot is said to be a kind and just man," the Dog-Lord said quietly. "If he is, he would not harm a child for having been born to a demon and human. And even if he would... it will still be safer than facing down a horde of demons who would definitely harm you both."  
  
Yoshiko went to her husband's side, and clutched one of his large hands between her small ones. As she whispered to him, Sesshomaru's golden eyes narrowed. He felt vaguely voyeuristic as he watched his father speak with that girl, a human wench hardly more than a concubine. As he watched, the Dog-Lord pulled Yoshiko against him, with her head on his shoulder, and rubbed her back gently.  
  
In recent days, Sesshomaru had begun to wonder if the serpent lord was in some way right. He didn't believe for a moment that his father was insane or senile. But he was weakened. Any fool could see it. When Yoshiko was near, he thought only of her safety. In the past months, he had been wrapped up in her emotional highs and lows, and showed a ridiculous interest in her halfbreed whelp. In short, she distracted him constantly, during a time when he could not afford to be distracted.  
  
Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. He would not have been displeased if some accident were to befall Yoshiko, killing the child she was carrying. It was a blot on his father's pure demon blood to have sired such a child.  
  
"Then it's settled," the Dog-Lord said, sitting back.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	42. Union of Souls Chapter 42

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO  
  
.  
  
The dragon landed as quietly as it could in the woods, but it still knocked down a few saplings. Growling loudly, it stalked to the edge of a field, until the monastery was in sight. A high gate was the first thing they saw, with a shabbily majestic building just behind it.  
  
The Dog-Lord had been tightly holding Yoshiko all throughout the too-short flight. Now he reluctantly let go, holding her hand until she had slid safely to the ground. "I'll come back for you soon," he said gravely.  
  
"I'll be waiting," Yoshiko said. "We both will." She didn't say what was gnawing at her heart -- that she was afraid he wouldn't come back at all. But she pushed it to the back of her mind and just squeezed his hand for a moment longer.   
  
"Wait!" the Dog-Lord suddenly said. He whipped off his fawn-colored cloak and settled it over her shoulders. "Keep this near you. I can rest easier if I know you have it."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Fire-rat fur."  
  
Yoshiko wrapped the too-long garment around her and waved once more. Then she began trundling awkwardly towards the monastery, glancing back at the dragon and its rider. She could feel the Dog-Lord watching her from a distance, until she turned a bend in the road, and the trees veiled her from sight.  
  
A young monk was sweeping in front of the gate. Yoshiko went to him and said quietly, "I wish to have lodgings for the next few days."  
  
The monk looked her over, looking a little puzzled. Yoshiko couldn't blame him -- she was dressed like a princess, but was walking on foot and didn't have any servants. Then he led her inside, to where several monks were sitting and talking quietly amongst themselves.  
  
One older man in particular caught her attention -- Yoshiko guessed that he was the abbot. He had the piercing, slightly stretched look of a man who didn't eat or sleep much. His gray eyes took in Yoshiko's appearance. "May I ask your name, lady?" he asked sternly.  
  
"I am Yoshiko, a noblewoman from a place far from here," Yoshiko said quietly.   
  
"As you know," the abbot said, "we monks give shelter to travelers on the roads. But there are trickster demons all around, and so, I would ask you to explain why a noble lady like yourself is walking alone on a road like this one. And why you are here."  
  
"I can answer you easily. My husband sent me here -- alone -- because he is about to go into battle and fears that his enemies might try to harm me. He thought a monastery might be the safest place for me to seek shelter." Yoshiko drew out a small, solid golden statue of Buddha -- some of the long-ago spoils that the Dog-Lord had gathered over time. He said it might help if she gave them a donation -- although he hadn't put it that politely.  
  
A gasp rippled through the room.  
  
"A rich gift indeed, Lady Yoshiko," the abbot said neutrally. "I have not seen a finer statue of Lord Amida."  
  
"My husband hoped that it would serve as partial compensation," Yoshiko said. "Especially since my circumstances are... difficult."  
  
As she sat down, Yoshiko felt all the monks staring at her stomach. Her kimonos covered her, but they could no longer hide her condition. Now all of them -- especially the younger ones -- looked very nervous at the idea of having a pregnant woman in their monastery.   
  
One of them whispered something to the abbot. The abbot glared at the younger monk, making him cringe. "We are to help all those who need sanctuary, not merely men or barren women," he said sharply.  
  
Then he looked back at Yoshiko. "You give us a generous gift, Lady Yoshiko. I hope you understand that our monastery does not have the luxuries you are accustomed to. But we will be able to give you what you need." He glanced down at the swell under her robes. "I wish to know something that may seem rather bold. How long have you been pregnant?"  
  
"About nine months, more or less."  
  
Now even the abbot looked a little nervous. "More or less?"  
  
"I don't know exactly when," Yoshiko said demurely. She felt a little sorry for the monks -- they were all men, most of whom had never been called on to deal with pregnant women.  
  
The abbot cleared his throat. "And how did you reach here? The monk at the gate said that you came on foot."  
  
"My husband left me nearby, then returned to his castle."  
  
"I see." The abbot seemed skeptical, but he accepted her anyway.  
  
Yoshiko felt slightly guilty as she followed one of the monks to a small room with a small window, a bed, and a small table with a simple meal on it. She hadn't lied to the abbot, but it had been a deception anyway. She thanked the monk, then sank down on the futon, leaning against the wall.  
  
Her baby kicked again. He wasn't doing that so often, but he still kept her awake at night with his restless squirming. "Settle down," Yoshiko whispered, patting her belly. Her baby just kicked harder, as if protesting being in a strange place. Yoshiko winced. "You're a strong little one," she whispered.  
  
She hoped that the baby wasn't born in the monastery. Though the abbot seemed like a fair man, she didn't want the monks to have a chance of harming her baby. She knew that some priests, monks and priestesses knew all demons weren't evil -- but she didn't know how these monks felt.  
  
"We'll see your father again soon," she whispered, as her baby kicked again. "Don't worry."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	43. Union of Souls Chapter 43

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE  
  
.  
  
"Be on your guard."  
  
"I will, Father."  
  
The Dog-Lord did not look at his son as he spoke. He kept his gaze on the horizon. A dark, shimmering line was forming at the edge of the sky, flickering up to the clouds. His sensitive ears could detect a faint roaring sound in the distance.   
  
For the past hour, he and his son had been standing on the broad, flat top of one shifted mountain. This was the place the Dog-Lord had chosen to face his enemies, rather than the more vulnerable palace. Best of all -- it was where he could keep an eye on that monastery.  
  
"Do you see them, Sesshomaru?" he asked.  
  
"I see them, Father."  
  
"I will take on the greatest numbers of them, but I will need your help. Do you believe that you can do this?"  
  
"I do." Sesshomaru looked vaguely displeased that his father needed to ask. "I will follow you wherever you go, Father."  
  
The Dog-Lord smiled. "I am pleased by that, Sesshomaru."  
  
Then his attention was caught by the dark line in the horizon. It was growing thicker and clearer. The distant roar was growing louder, swelling through the still air. And a wind began to blow across the mountaintop, whipping back the hair and clothes of the two demons there.  
  
"Ready," the Dog-Lord said tightly. He drew the Tetsusaiga, enjoying the way it seemed to mold itself to his fingers. He had his own sword at his side as well -- and the Tenseiga, just in case he needed it -- but he wanted to be sure of the Tetusaiga's power.   
  
Sesshomaru glanced over at the Tetsusaiga, as if noting it. "Father-"  
  
"Not now. They're coming."  
  
A few small-fry demons flew overhead, screeching. The Dog-Lord ignored them; they didn't have enough power to even scratch him. It was the larger ones that worried him. Especially the serpent who led them -- he could smell the stench of it from where he stood.  
  
The demons on the horizon were growing as they came toward him, their cries tearing the silence. The Dog-Lord raised the Tetsusaiga over his head, and took a deep breath. Cut across the abyss, harness the wind. Destroy my enemies, he said silently to the sword.   
  
A bellow blasted through the air, almost deafening him. An ogre the size of the mountain was rising out of the forest, scattering broken trees like blades of grass. It roared, clutching at the air with its splayed claws, then began to lumber toward them. Other demons rode, flew, ran toward the two on the mountaintop. There were many, but they were weak. Even that ogre...  
  
As the Dog-Lord tensed to swing the sword, he smelled something. A strange spot where the winds blew around the demonic army, particularly in front of the ogre. A comment of Totosai's came back to the Dog-Lord's mind, and he smiled slightly.   
  
"Father," Sesshomaru murmured. "That wind-"  
  
"I know," the Dog-Lord said. With a roar, he swung the blade. A blast of light and power roared from the Tetsusaiga, blasting lines across the ground. The ogre stumbled back as the Tetsusaiga's blast tore through the air and ground toward it. There was fear in its dumb beast's eyes, and it tried to stumble away. But the sword's power smashed into it, enveloped it, and as the light dissipated, there was only bits of flesh and bone, falling like a grisly rain.  
  
The Dog-Lord smiled slightly. Tetsusaiga was everything he had hoped it would be. "Destroy them!" he shouted, as he and Sesshomaru leaped forward.  
  
.  
  
Yoshiko heard the battle begin around midday. A great roar cut across the sky, and a flash of light lit up the clouds like a flash of lightning. She rushed to a window and looked out; the roar was fading away, and the light still lingered in the clouds.  
  
"What is that?" one of the monks asked fearfully. "Is it lightning?"  
  
"Demons," another said. "Hundreds of them."  
  
Yoshiko's breath caught. One of the monks, misinterpreting her expression, put a comforting hand on her elbow. "Don't worry, Lady Yoshiko," he said. "There are barriers and sutras all around the monastery. No demon will be able to come in."  
  
"That's very comforting," Yoshiko murmured.   
  
But she wasn't worried for herself. For the first time, she was wondering if the Dog-Lord and Sesshomaru would win this battle. They were powerful -- but could they stand against an army of demons?  
  
What frightened Yoshiko most of all was what he had said a few months before -- that if he should die, his sword would protect them both. I thought he was just being careful, she thoought, but was he.... did he think that something was going to happen to him?  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	44. Union of Souls Chapter 44

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR  
  
.  
  
The Tetsusaiga smashed through the dozens of demons, as if they were made out of water and air. Bits of flesh pattered down around the Dog-Lord as he lowered the iron fang.   
  
"Hah!" the Dog-Lord roared. The demons they had sent against him were just crawling weaklings. He had no doubt that the first wave had just been a warm-up -- the stronger opponents were doubtlessly coming. He glared up into the seething wall of demons, listening to them yowling defiantly. "Come at me, cowards!" he snarled. "Or do you fear me? If you fear me, why do you attack me?"  
  
Another high shriek rose from the demons. A handful of them were fleeing down toward the ground, and the Dog-Lord let them go. They would never dare defy him again. "Do you smell the serpent lord, Sesshomaru?" he asked, gripping Tetsusaiga.  
  
"Not yet, Father," Sesshomaru said grimly. He had been doing his own fair share of fighting, and his venomous claws were stained with blood. The Dog-Lord was impressed by his son's cold fighting skill.   
  
"Here they come," the elder demon said. He smiled slightly. How enjoyable would it be if they were all weaklings? he thought.  
  
He smashed through the chest of a giant creature with an eel's body and a woman's torso, followed by a pair of centipedes. These were harder -- he could use the Scar of the Wind on them individually, but some were too large and tough to be dealt with all at once. He could deal with it, but he was glad to have his son by his side.  
  
And then suddenly he felt a sense of unease. He looked to the east, and saw a stream of smoke rising from the valley where the monastery rested...  
  
.  
  
Yoshiko drifted through the day in a daze, hearing the distant roars and crashes. The monks around her were nervously watching the skies, waiting for any sign of a demon's attack. Several of them carries staffs and sutras, just in case they had to fight.  
  
Yoshiko waited at a table, trying to nibble on a dumpling. Opposite her, the abbot was sitting quietly, his eyes closed as he prayed or meditated or whatever he was doing. Yoshiko was more concerned about her baby. He had stopped kicking as much in the last hour. I'm worried enough about your father, she thought, rubbing her stomach. Must I worry about you too?  
  
She just hoped that she didn't give birth in the monastery. Even if one of the monks was able to help her, she didn't know what they would do to a half-demon baby. Didn't monks kill demons?  
  
Don't think about that, Yoshiko chided herself. But no sooner had she banished her worries for her baby than her worries about the Dog-Lord returned. She huddled closer in his cloak, thinking about his face as he had given it to her. He had been so worried...  
  
"Demons are attacking!"  
  
Yoshiko broke out of her thoughts, and ran to the window. Red eyes were peering from the trees, glaring at the monks scattered out behind the monastery. She shrank back -- and a red glow suddenly began to seep through the window, between the wall boards, shimmering like some hideous mirage. The abbot sprang to his feet, holding up his staff.   
  
"WATCH OUT!" a voice called.  
  
Yoshiko stumbled backwards, as a giant wave of fire roared through the room. She barely had time to pull the fire-rat cloak over her body. The flames washed over her, seeping under the edge of the cloak, heating her face and hands. She clasped the cloak as tightly to the floor as she could, trying to shut out the screams of the monks around her, even as the boards under her dissolved into ash and sparks.  
  
When she dared to lift the cloak, she saw that the monks were gone -- blasted away by the fireball. The room around her was in flames, all red and black shadows that flickered and danced like the demon's eyes. Yoshiko looked around for a door, but she couldn't see any that weren't blocked by fallen beams. Trying not to cry, Yoshiko crawled across the floor, around fallen beams that were burning holes under her.   
  
Suddenly she felt a deep, gripping pain inside her belly.  
  
Yoshiko groaned and doubled over. The pain began to ebb away, leaving her baby kicking frantically. "No," she whispered brokenly. "Not now..."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	45. Union of Souls Chapter 45

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE  
  
.  
  
That smoke! the Dog-Lord thought. The monastery... YOSHIKO!  
  
Her name rang out in his head, making him freeze in place. Visions of her burning alive in the monastery flew through his mind. Suddenly a white streak passed by him, and Sesshomaru smashed away the demon that had been descending toward his father.  
  
The Dog-Lord snapped out of his thoughts and swept away another shrieking spider. The monks must have gotten her out of the monastery before it burned, he thought desperately. Surely a pregnant woman would be the first one to be taken to safety...  
  
He could not leave now. The demons were swarming over the mountaintop, and Sesshomaru was not strong enough to fend them all off at once. But he was, at least for an hour or so. He could do it, while his son... well, it had to be done, even if Sesshomaru would hate the errand.   
  
"Sesshomaru!" he shouted.  
  
The younger demon looked over his shoulder, his golden eyes flaring. "Father?"  
  
"Go to the monastery. I want you to find Yoshiko and make sure she is safe," the Dog-Lord shouted. He swung the Tetsusaiga, smashing apart a wormlike demon's body. "Go now! I'll hold them at bay!"  
  
He didn't see the dark look that crossed his son's face. But Sesshomaru turned to the valley and leaped off, slashing through the wall of demons as he soared down. He landed lightly on the ground, then raced into the woods, toward the smell of smoke and fire.  
  
His face was impassive as he stopped near the monastery. It was in ruins -- the charred corpses of monks lay strewn around like broken toys. Flames were licking at the roof and walls of the monastery, and half the roof had caved in. Evidently a demon had destroyed it.  
  
Sesshomaru allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. If Yoshiko had been in that building, then she was surely dead. Even some demons would be threatened by flames such as those. A human weakling would be lucky to have survived the first blast. He turned toward the mountain, preparing to return to his father.  
  
And then a faint cry rang out.  
  
Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. He slowly turned around, staring at the burning building. That cry had come from the monastery.  
  
.  
  
Yoshiko could barely breathe. Smoke was pouring around her, and ash was swirling up in the air around her. Coughing frantically, she was crawling across the burning floor, with the fire-rat cloak draped over her. A few burning pieces of wood had fallen, but they just slid off the cloak. She was desperately searching for a way out, but the fire had crept everywhere, consuming the walls, the doors, and the smoke covered whatever exits there might be.  
  
Then the floor suddenly cracked under her hand. Sparks flew out, burning her fingers. Yoshiko squeaked and fell back, clutching her burned hand close to her chest. Tears rose in her eyes, but she was too panicked and frightened to cry.   
  
"Can anyone hear?" she shouted. A fit of coughing seized her. "Anyone! Please help!"  
  
The only answer was the dull, dry roar of the flames.  
  
He's not coming, she thought despairingly, huddling inside the cloak. He's fighting that serpent lord -- he doesn't know what's happening to me. He won't know until it's too late....  
  
She forced herself to crawl a little further -- and another pain suddenly gripped her belly. More tears came to Yoshiko's eyes as she huddled over on the floor. She was going to die in this burning monastery -- and so was her baby, who was so close to having his own life. She wouldn't have minded this so much, if only she could have seen her baby first...  
  
If only the Dog-Lord could have seen it...  
  
Suddenly there was a loud crashing sound, and a tall figure stepped from the flames. Yoshiko looked up, and her heart almost stopped. With his pale hair swirling in the fiery wind, it was Sesshomaru.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	46. Union of Souls Chapter 46

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX  
  
.  
  
Yoshiko crept backwards, trying not to tremble. Her hands flew up to her belly, as if she could shield her baby from Sesshomaru. A blast of hot air swirled behind her, making her cringe away, huddling under the fire-rat cloak. Then she looked up at her stepson.  
  
"Please," she whispered almost soundlessly.  
  
Sesshomaru gave no sign of having heard her. His golden eyes were as cold and hard as stones. He was just staring down at her, with no expression on his handsome face. Suddenly Yoshiko began coughing hard -- and felt another wave of pain inside her. As she groaned and clutched at her middle, Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly... then narrowed again.  
  
Suddenly Yoshiko wondered if he was going to kill her. In this place, no one would know if she died by a demon's claws or by the fire. He could kill her in a moment, leave her body to be consumed and buried in the wreck of the monastery. And the Dog-Lord would never know...  
  
It was on her lips to beg him to spare her baby, to let him live. But if Sesshomaru had decided to kill her, she knew he wouldn't spare her unborn child. Begging would make no difference to him... and she knew a half-human infant's life would mean nothing. She huddled against the burning, half-collapsed wall.  
  
And then he reached for her.  
  
"No! NO!" Yoshiko cried, feebly beating at him with her fists. "Please don't... don't hurt him..."  
  
But she stopped as he suddenly lifted her into his arms, carelessly and easily. Yoshiko coughed violently and clung to his sleeve as he turned and walked through a wall of flame, smashing through the burned walls and ashen remains of screens. She felt as if her throat was full of the ash and smoke, but Sesshomaru didn't even pause.   
  
Then suddenly they were out in the open air. There was a deafening crash, and the roof collapsed in on the burned monastery. Then the gate teetered dangerously, twisting on its blackened beams. And the gate fell with another crash on top of the collapsed building.   
  
He... rescued me? Yoshiko thought, astonished.  
  
She coughed and gasped as Sesshomaru continued walking, as casually as if he were out for a stroll. Then he let go, and Yoshiko fell hard on the grass. "Ow!" she half-cried, half-coughed. She slowly sat up, with her arms still tightly pressed across her swollen stomach.  
  
Sesshomaru stared down at the human woman, cowering on the ground. Soot was smearing her face and burned clothes, except for his father's cloak, which was still wrapped around her. He would have left her to burn, had his father not ordered him to insure her safety.  
  
His eyes narrowed as the girl moaned again and huddled over. So that was what was happening. Without a word, Sesshomaru turned and walked back toward the woods, determined to return to the battle. He had no intention of sitting in a meadow, delivering his halfbreed sibling.   
  
I can do nothing more for the girl, he thought. I removed her from danger, as Father commanded me. Now my duties lie with him.  
  
Still trembling, Yoshiko curled up on the grass. She still felt dizzy, weak and lightheaded, both from the labor pains and from all the smoke and ash she had inhaled. She watched as Sesshomaru walked quickly away, until the branches and shadows of the forest swallowed him up. A few moments later, an enormous form shot across the sky, toward the battle on the distant mountain.  
  
Stay calm, Yoshiko thought to herself. But she was deathly frightened. Demons were swarming through this place, and she was having her baby -- beside a burning monastery, surrounded by the bodies of dead monks. In a field, by herself. Yoshiko tried to creep toward the trees, but collapsed on her side.   
  
Where are you? she thought hazily. Come for me, please...  
  
.  
  
The Dog-Lord's eyes flashed as he swept away more demons. His breath was coming hard now, and he had even had to stop to rest. He was no longer in his prime -- and even in his youth, he had never battled so many demons before.   
  
Where is that serpent? he thought angrily, scanning the demons swirling above him.  
  
Instead he saw the form of a monstrous white dog, tearings its way through the flanks of the demon army. Sesshomaru raced down toward his father, sending the lesser demons fleeing in terror. Then he transformed again, landing beside the Dog-Lord. "Father," he said quietly.  
  
The Dog-Lord felt a jab of fear. "Yoshiko?"  
  
"She lives," his son said flatly.  
  
The demon lord sighed. She's alive, he thought. "And the child?"  
  
"For the moment, it lives."  
  
"For the MOMENT?"  
  
"When I left, she was about to deliver her whelp. But she was no longer in the burning monastery," Sesshomaru said tonelessly, looking out at the swarm of demons. They were diminished by his father's attacks, but there were still many of them.  
  
The Dog-Lord's fangs ground loudly together. I'll deal with this later, he thought. Now is not the time to reprimand him. "Can you hold off these demons for a short time?" he asked sharply.  
  
"Yes, Father."  
  
"Then do so!" The Dog-Lord unsheathed Tetsusaiga in a flash of light, and sent a blast of power ripping through the area he wanted to go. As he leaped down toward the forest, in the distance he heard a familiar cry...  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	47. Union of Souls Chapter 47

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN  
  
.  
  
Yoshiko cried out again as the hot, twisting pain in her belly grew stronger and stronger. Tears sprang to her eyes, and sweat broke out on her face. She huddled helplessly under the Dog-Lord's cloak as if it could shield her. Her vision was blurring, and she was still coughing hoarsely.  
  
All her old fears about what her child would be sprang into her mind again. Her pain wasn't just from the labor -- it felt like her baby was... trying to claw his way out of his mother's womb. What was happening? What kind of creature was she giving birth to? Would... her baby be normal?  
  
As the pain ebbed away, Yoshiko took deep breaths and tried to crawl across the field. But as she stumbled across a dead monk in her path, with his skin and clothes blackened and crumbling, she collapsed on her side. Where is there to go? she thought bleakly. Too far... it's too far to the palace. And if I get too close to the battle...  
  
She almost wished that Sesshomaru would return. As cold and unfeeling as he could be, he was better than no one at all. Especially since Yoshiko's sisters had said it could take hours, even days, for babies to be born.  
  
Her baby was still squirming and clawing inside of her. Trying not to whimper, Yoshiko curled up and rested her hands on her stomach. "It's all right," she whispered. "Everything will be all right..."  
  
Then she heard a snarl from up in the trees. Yoshiko glanced up, and saw a demon -- a long wormlike body, ending in a woman's head, with long curved fangs. She cringed, trying to inch away from it. And the demon uttered a high wail and suddenly shot down at her, opening its maw to swallow her whole.  
  
Yoshiko shut her eyes --   
  
There was a sudden blast --  
  
Pieces of something hard pelted the ground around her, and a few smacked into her. Yoshiko slowly opened her eyes -- and saw the Dog-Lord, standing between the split halves of the demon. He was holding a long, wide-bladed sword that shone faintly. He sheathed it, and ran over to her. "Yoshiko!" he whispered, hugging her tightly.   
  
"I didn't think you were coming for me," Yoshiko sobbed.  
  
"I would never leave you here," the Dog-Lord said fiercely. "I saw the smoke from the monastery and sent Sesshomaru. But when I learned that he had left you here, I came myself. I should have done that from the start!"  
  
"And... what about the battle...?"  
  
"After Sesshomaru returned, I left the battle to him," the Dog-Lord said. "The baby. He said it was coming."  
  
"Y-yes," Yoshiko said, clinging to him. "Sesshomaru... he took me out of the monastery, but then he left me -- here -- and just left."  
  
"I was a fool," the Dog-Lord said grimly, holding her against him. "I should have left you at the palace."   
  
He lifted the human girl gently, wrapping her in his cloak. She clung to him, pressed her face against his shoulder. Then he leaped lightly over the tree boughs, heading up toward the mountaintop where his servants were watching the battle, fearing for their lives.  
  
.  
  
The doors slammed down as the Dog-Lord kicked them open. "Yaniko! Rusiko! Iako!" he shouted, carrying Yoshiko into the darkened hallway. She was still shaking and coughing, and occasionally clutched at his shoulder, silently bearing her pain.  
  
"Milord!" Jaken said, bobbing around the Dog-Lord's feet. "What has happened? Where is Lord Sess-"  
  
"Get out of my way!" the Dog-Lord snarled.  
  
The three maidservants came rushing in, and gasped as they saw the Dog-Lord carefully set down their mistress. "Milady, what happened?" Yaniko and Iako said, helping support the swaying human girl.  
  
"My son is about to be born," the Dog-Lord said grimly. He gripped Yoshiko's arms, keeping her close to him. "Take care of her. Help her as best you can."  
  
Then he looked down at her sweat-dampened face. She was looking up at him almost pleadingly, with eyes full of pain and fear. He stroked her dark hair and hugged her tightly, hearing distant explosions and roars. "I must go," he said quietly. "I'll be back as soon as I can, Yoshiko, I promise you."  
  
"Come back soon," Yoshiko whispered. "I want you to be here when..." She shuddered again as the Dog-Lord kissed her. Then she fell back into the supporting arms of her maids, and watched as the Dog-Lord strode out of the broken doors. A moment later, a great white dog raced off into the clouds.  
  
Yoshiko sank back against Rusiko. "Soon," she whispered.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	48. Union of Souls Chapter 48

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

.

The wind roared around the Dog-Lord as he raced toward the mountain where Sesshomaru was still fighting. His son was powerful, but not yet powerful enough -- he had only a part of his father's might, and was still too young to fight so many at once without help.

The Dog-Lord growled softly in his throat. He longed to turn around and go back to his second wife, but she and the baby were both doomed if he and Sesshomaru failed to win against this demon army. They had already been attacked twice that day -- and the Dog-Lord didn't intend to let that go unavenged. The scent of the monks' burned bodies came back to him, and his rage began to grow even more.

Thoughts began to run through his mind. If he hadn't come when he had, Yoshiko would have been eaten alive by that demon. If she hadn't had his fire-rat cloak, then she and the unborn baby would both be dead, burned to nothing but bones and ashes. Dead before he would even know. Dead before he had even seen his younger child's face.

The growl erupted as a full-blown roar. As he lunged down toward the mountaintop, the demons scattered, terrified, to regroup elsewhere in the sky. Sesshomaru paused where he was, staring up as his father transformed into his more human appearance, striding over to him. "Are you well?" the Dog-Lord asked tightly.

"I am, Father."

"Good." The Dog-Lord looked up at the sky. "Do you smell it?"

"Yes, Father." Sesshomaru looked at the seething army of demons below them. He smelled it -- the metallic scent of a serpent.

"Be on your guard. When they attack again, that will be for the last time, whether it is they who will die, or us."

Sesshomaru shot his father a strange, impassive look.

The Dog-Lord smiled a little. Without even looking at his son, he knew what Sesshomaru was thinking. "I am not so old that I'm not still learning, Sesshomaru. And I have learned in this last year that things I would have thought impossible can happen." His claws cracked loudly. "And that one can be too confident -- and too stupid as well."

"Confident, Father?"

"I was too confident, and Yoshiko almost died for it." His face hardened. He knew that Sesshomaru didn't care whether his bride lived or died, but at this moment he felt that he should say it. "I don't plan to gamble with her or the baby. If anything happens to me, you must destroy the serpent lord yourself."

"I understand."

The Dog-Lord rested his hand on Tetsusaiga. It saddened him to think that a chasm existed between him and Sesshomaru. But at this moment, in the thick of battle, he felt as if they had never been closer. Certainly he was sure they would never face a battle like this one again... or if they did, it would be with the younger child at their sides.

The wind whipped the Dog-Lord's ivory hair over his face. He slowly turned to look his elder son in the eye, and smiled slightly. "You have given me a great deal of pride in you, my son. Do not forget that, no matter what will happen today or in the days that follow."

Sesshomaru still did not change expression, but he did bow slightly to his father.

The two demons were silent as their enemies suddenly regrouped, and swooped down on them. In the middle of a writhing, chaotic maelstrom, the two dog-demons slashed and cast aside dozens of demons, with the Dog-Lord sometimes cutting great swathes through their ranks with the Tetsusaiga. A fierce joy began to build in his heart as he destroyed the enemies who had threatened Yoshiko and their child...

He slashed through the air with his sword, and watched as lines of demonic energy blasted through the demons. Then he paused for a moment, breathing hard. He had been fighting harder than he had since his youth, centuries before. And it was beginning to catch up with him. With a grunt, he raised Tetsusaiga and braced himself for another attack.

Then suddenly a dark shape uncoiled in front of the Dog-Lord -- a massive crimson dragon, snarling and roaring as it lunged down toward him. The Dog-Lord smiled slightly, and sent a wave of power crashing into the dragon's head. It smashed into the dragon's skull, shattering it.

But something else leapt from the dragon's back, and the Dog-Lord saw the other demon too late. His golden eyes went wide as a barbed spear slashed deep into his exposed chest.

TO BE CONTINUED


	49. Union of Souls Chapter 49

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE  
  
.  
  
"You'll be all right, milady," Iako said, stroking back Yoshiko's damp hair.  
  
Yoshiko shuddered as another blast rang out in the distance. They were far from any fighting, but she cringed every time she heard sounds from the battle. Still dizzy from breathing in smoke, Yoshiko was too weak to walk without assistance. It had taken her maids quite some time to get her back to her chambers.  
  
Iako and Yaniko stayed by her side the whole time, murmuring encouragement and helping her sit up, even walking when she could. Rusiko silently knelt at the foot of the bed, waiting for the baby to be born. And unfortunately, even though he knew nothing about delivering babies, Myoga was staying in the room -- to make sure the Dog-Lord's child was all right, he said.  
  
Her eyes strayed over to the half-open window. Her heart ached for the Dog-Lord beside her, instead of knowing that he was risking his very life in battle. Worse than that was the suspicion that she and her baby were somehow at the heart of the conflict. And fear. Fear that she would never see her lover again.... fear that he would never see their baby....  
  
Another pain twisted her belly. Yoshiko clutched silently at Iako and Yaniko's hands, breathing in sharp little gasps. As it faded away, Iako snatched up a damp rag and started dabbing at Yoshiko's face and throat.  
  
"Don't worry, Lady Yoshiko," Myoga piped up, hopping onto the small table beside Yoshiko's bed.  
  
"Don't worry?" Yoshiko asked hazily.  
  
"The mighty Dog-Lord has never been defeated yet!" the flea said proudly. "Especially when protecting what he cares about." He studied Yoshiko's face. "Milady, how are you feeling right now?"  
  
"Terrible."  
  
"Oh dear," Myoga said fretfully.  
  
"Don't you have anything else to do?" Iako asked fretfully, wrapping an arm behind Yoshiko's back.  
  
Myoga looked rather uneasy. "It's my duty to make sure that the Dog-Lord's son -- or daughter, I'm not sure which -- is born safe and healthy."  
  
He doesn't want to be too near the battle, Yoshiko thought.  
  
The flea continued rather pompously, "And as such are my duties, I should remain by Lady Yoshiko's side until the baby is born, and then of course I -- what's wrong?"  
  
Suddenly Yoshiko huddled over, clutching at her stomach. Tears rose in her eyes as she felt that same horrible clawing feeling from inside her womb, as if her baby were trying to burrow its way out of her. Frantically, she wondered again what her baby was. What if that horrible Jaken was right, and for all these months a monster had been inside her all along?  
  
The clawing feeling faded away, and Yoshiko slowly sat up, with tears in her eyes. Iako and Yaniko frantically asked her what was wrong, with Myoga shrilly asking the same. "Milady, perhaps I should fetch some sort of physician -- I could look for -- YEEK!" Yoshiko's hand slapped down on the flea, squashing him flat.  
  
.  
  
A moment's hush fell over the battleground.  
  
The Dog-Lord was too startled to even feel pain for a moment. Then a crimson stain began to seep quickly around the shaft of the spear, and a hot, blinding pain formed deep in his chest where the barbed spear head was. Demonic energy was crackling into his wounded body, weakening his powers and threatening to sear him from the inside out.  
  
He looked up at the demon who had stabbed him. It was a demon nearly as tall as he, with a long sinuous neck and a scaled serpent's head. Powerful hands gripped the spear, and the long mouth stretched into a leering grin.  
  
"So," the serpent demon hissed. "The great Dog-Lord, brought to weakness and death by a human wench."  
  
The Dog-Lord just stared at his enemy. Tetsusaiga had fallen from his hand and transformed back into a battered, dull sword. The power of the spear had weakened him, as surely as the blood trickling from his gashed chest was weakening him.  
  
"Think on this as I cut out your heart," the serpent sneered. "Even we speak, your human whore lies dead in that monastery. And your halfbreed child dead inside her. Will you think of them as you die?"  
  
Something sparked in the Dog-Lord's golden eyes. His clawed hands curled into fists, slowly rising up to grip the spear shaft. "My son... is ALIVE," he growled.  
  
Rage brought the mighty demon's strength back to him. His hand smashed through the shaft, shattering it. In a blur of motion, the Dog-Lord tore the jagged, bloodied blade from his chest, and lunged toward his startled enemy.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	50. Union of Souls Chapter 50

CHAPTER FIFTY

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Demonic energy crackled from the blade, and blood seeped down to the broken shaft. The Dog-Lord raised the shattered blade over his head and swung it in a wide arc, down at the serpent demon.

For centuries, the jagged spear's life-draining power had killed hundreds of demons, never failing to weaken them until the serpent could kill them easily with its own hands. But the Dog-Lord's power, coupled with anger almost as overwhelming, was causing the spear's power to crack. It had already been overcome enough for the Dog-Lord to pull the blade out of his own body. He was weakened, but not nearly enough.

The serpent's red eyes went wide, and it frantically tried to parry away the blade with the broken shaft. But the spear's spell was breaking. The bloodied, glowing blade caught on the spear shaft -- and after a moment, slashed through it. The serpent stumbled back, blinded in one eye where the spearhead had caught it. For a moment, he saw the dog-demon's face twist into a feral snarl.

Then the blade slashed through the serpent's long neck.

A cold wind blew over the battlefield, as the serpent lord's body crumpled to the ground. A final slash from the Dog-Lord's claws reduced it to scraps of flesh and scales on the rocks. Sesshomaru took a step toward his father as the Dog-Lord crouched down, breathing hard.

Then a roar came from the demons surrounding him -- fear, rage, and desperation. Their master was dead, and now they were at the mercy of his greatest enemy.

"Father!" Sesshomaru called.

"Don't worry about me," the Dog-Lord said through his teeth. He let the blade from the spear fall to the rocks, breathing hard and deeply. He had won, but at a potentially deadly price. Stiffly he stood up, pressing a hand to his bleeding chest and forcing his weakening limbs to hold him up just a little longer. Just long enough to finish this battle... and then...

"Come with me," he said to his son.

"What about your wounds?"

"Never mind them. Come!"

Another wave of demons descended on them, making a desperate final attempt to kill their wounded enemy. But the Dog-Lord leaped up toward them, with Sesshomaru at his side. Father and son tore through the ranks of demons, leaving only a trail of destruction behind them. Some demons fled in fear, spiraling down into the forests, to hide in dark, root-laced holes where the Dog-Lord would never bother to search. Others shrieked their rage as they tried futilely to defeat him, knowing that the mighty demons -- the ones their master hadn't been able to kill -- would tear them apart.

Finally, as the few remaining demons retreated, the Dog-Lord landed on the mountaintop -- and dropped heavily onto one knee. The demonic blade had wounded him severely, more than any mere spear could. And he was still bleeding.

Shaking, he grasped Tetsusaiga and returned it to his belt. I can't fight any more this day, he thought. At Sesshomaru's age, perhaps I could have. But now...

"Father," Sesshomaru said, coming to his side.

"My son," the Dog-Lord said heavily, slowly rising. "I leave the rest of it to you."

"You leave...?"

With a groan, the Dog-Lord transformed into his massive dog form, crouched low over the plateau. His enormous form almost covered the mountaintop; blood stained his ribs. He leaped off into the air, racing across the sky to the palace. He could wait no longer....

.

The wounded dog-demon transformed back on the plateau outside the palace, and walked wearily toward the doors. As he opened the door, he heard a familiar voice call out, "Milord, were you successful!" Then Jaken gasped and staggered back. "Milord, you are wounded. What terrible-"

The Dog-Lord wordlessly kicked Jaken aside. "Stay out of my way," he growled.

Then he continued walking, leaning on the walls when dizziness overcame him. In the past months, he had learned to walk the way to Yoshiko's chambers almost by habit; it served him now, when all his thoughts were on her -- on their child -- and on how desperately he wanted to see them both. He heard the cries of lesser demons who served him, huddled in small corners. But he ignored every one of them.

As he came to her rooms, he could heard Yoshiko crying out piteously nearby, and he began going faster. But as he approached her chambers, the sound of his wife's voice suddenly stopped. The Dog-Lord paused at her door, breathing hard.

And another sound rose up: The sound of a newborn baby's cries.

TO BE CONTINUED


	51. Union of Souls Chapter 51

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

.

Yoshiko crumpled back against her maids' arms, exhausted. Her body ached from the long, dark hours before giving birth, and she was crying despite her best efforts not to. Breathing hard, she clung to Iako's arm and tried to sit up. The past day had been the worst of her life -- and the Dog-Lord was still gone.

Then she heard her baby's shrill cry. Rusiko snatched up the Dog-Lord's discarded fire-rat cloak, and wrapped something small and moving in it.

"It's a boy, milady," Rusiko said quietly.

"Let me see him," Yoshiko said hazily, struggling to sit up. "I want to see my baby..."

As Rusiko brought the wriggling bundle over to her, Yoshiko's old fears flared up again -- memories of the frightening half-breed babies that had been born in the past. The maid carefully put the baby in his mother's arms, and Yoshiko blinked away her tears, until she could see her baby's face.

Her baby wasn't a monster. He was perfect.

Yoshiko's breath caught. Her baby was still crying angrily against the cold, bright world he had suddenly been brought into. But as his cries died away, she saw that he had his father's wide golden eyes and silver hair. His tiny body and face were like that of a human baby -- except for two things. The tiny fist clutching her finger had tiny, blunt claws, and crumpled close against his damp head were a pair of pointed puppy ears.

For a moment, the past year seemed to flash through Yoshiko's mind. She remembered the day she had realized she was pregnant, and had silently vowed to keep her half-demon baby safe. She thought of the long months of worrying and wondering, of how exhausted and sick she had been. And the past day, when she had nearly been burned alive and devoured while crippled with pain, and had struggled for hours as she worried about her husband.

It was all worth it, now that she saw her baby's face.

Yoshiko smiled tremulously. "He's so... beautiful," she whispered, touching her child's damp little cheek.

There was a loud crashing sound, and the door slid open. The Dog-Lord strode in, with blood spattered over his clothes and face. The maids gasped, and Yaniko gave a little scream. But Rusiko carefully slipped the wailing baby from his mother's arms, as the Dog-Lord came to Yoshiko's side. He wrapped his strong arms around her, breathing hard. "Are you all right?" he whispered.

"I am now," Yoshiko said, clutching at him.

The Dog-Lord sighed, and seemed to wilt against her. Suddenly Yoshiko raised her hand from his back -- her fingers were wet with blood. "You're wounded!" she cried. "What happened? Please... please don't..." She clutched him even more tightly.

The Dog-Lord chuckled softly and drew himself up. "I'm not quite dying yet," he said. "It takes more than that to kill an old hound." With a grimace, he forced himself to stand. "Let me see the child."

Rusiko obediently handed him the squealing newborn. The Dog-Lord cradled the baby close to him, walking to the window and into the sunlight. The baby stopped crying for a moment, blinking his golden eyes at his father's battered face. Then he started to howl again, wriggling in the demon's enormous hands.

The Dog-Lord smiled. He could hear fire in those cries, and feel strength blooming in the baby's tiny body. His son looked like a demon -- his only abnormality was those dog-ears on top of his little head. And that was nothing to worry about. But there was human in him too -- his little body was unmarked by the stripes on his father and brother's faces and hands. He would be the best of both worlds.

"My son," the Dog-Lord said softly, running his stained fingers over the baby's white head.

He carried the baby back to Yoshiko. "I am pleased," he said softly, kissing her. "Now rest for awhile. I'll be with you again soon..."

"But your wounds..." Yoshiko said.

"Don't worry about me." The demon smiled crookedly. "Just look after our son."

Somehow he managed to rise again, and step out of the door. He could hear the maids chattering, and the baby still crying. His wounds were more serious than he would let Yoshiko know; if it hadn't been for her and the baby, he doubted he would have made it back to the palace without collapsing.

Sesshomaru was standing outside the door. "Father!" he said, grasping his father's arm as the Dog-Lord stumbled.

The Dog-Lord winced at the burning pain in his torn chest. "Sesshomaru," he said quietly, letting his elder son support him. "Take me to my own rooms, my son."

TO BE CONTINUED


	52. Union of Souls Chapter 52

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

.

The Dog-Lord hissed as Sesshomaru drew the bandage tightly across his shoulder. The younger demon paused. "Should I continue, Father?" he asked.

"Keep going," the Dog-Lord grunted.

The raw pain from his wound was growing worse, every time his son wound another bandage around his bare chest. The Dog-Lord was half-sitting, half-crouching on a low table, his torn, bloodstained clothes in a heap at his feet. He stared out the window at the darkened clouds, trying to keep his growls silent as his son continued bandaging him, as carefully and calmly as he did everything.

His ELDER son. The Dog-Lord's mouth flickered into a smile. After all, he had just become a father again, at the moment when he approached Yoshiko's bedside. He closed his eyes, feeling weary and worn-out... and a little old. He wanted to be with them again now, and as soon as Sesshomaru was done...

He grimaced and pressed a hand to his ribs. "That's enough. I think I can manage now."

Sesshomaru finished with the bandages, then stepped back. His youthful face was stern, making him look far older and more experienced. "You might have died."

"Yes, I could have." The Dog-Lord smiled wanly. "But I didn't. That's the important thing."

He stood up slowly, clutching at Sesshomaru's shoulder for support. His son silently gripped his wrist, until his wounded father was standing without support. The Dog-Lord tried to smile, although it seemed to pain him. "You know where I will be. You should rest as well, my son. You did more than your share of fighting, and more than even I had expected of you."

Sesshomaru bowed slightly to his father, and withdrew to the hall outside, where a bruised Jaken was waiting for him. Though he had taken only minor wounds, he was nearly as worn as his father. He glanced back as the half-dressed Dog-Lord slipped down a corridor. Then the younger demon turned back to his own rooms.

.

Yoshiko was half asleep when the Dog-Lord arrived, with their baby son nestled on a small futon beside her bed. The demon stepped into the room, and looked over at the maids, who were cleaning the room and taking out tiny silken garments for the baby. "Later. Go now," he said curtly.

The three girls bowed and hastily scrambled out.

As the door shut, the Dog-Lord went to Yoshiko's side, and looked down at her. She was still pale and tired-looking from the birth. But her unbound dark hair and peaceful features reminded him of the girl he had first loved in a room by the gardens, lit only by a single candle, before she had been swept up in the fright of the past year.

With a groan, the Dog-Lord slid under the sheets with her. Yoshiko blinked and tried to sit up. "Are you all right?" she said faintly.

"Not yet." The Dog-Lord grimaced, and tried to maneuver himself under the covers without hurting his chest further. "Don't worry about-"

Suddenly Yoshiko was clinging tightly to him, trying to not touch his bandaged wounds. "I was so afraid," she said thickly.

The Dog-Lord's rough face softened slightly. He stroked his wife's hair away from her face. "You didn't need to be," he whispered. "I never would have let them even come close to you."

"That's not it," Yoshiko said, raising her gaze to his. "I was afraid the whole time... that I would not see you again... and that you would never be able to see our child."

The Dog-Lord rested his cheek against her head. He longed to tell her that he had feared the same, but he didn't want to let her know how close he had been to death. He sighed wearily, and kissed her lightly between the eyes. "I too thought I was going to lose you," he said quietly. "But Yoshiko.... even if the demon army had destroyed me... I would never really leave you."

He kissed her for a moment, lacking the energy to be more passionate. Yoshiko sat up and carefully picked up their half-demon, half-human baby, cradling the tiny child close to her. The Dog-Lord smiled as she placed the slumbering whelp in the crook of her arm, then nestled against her husband's shoulder.

He waited until both mother and child were asleep. Then he closed his eyes as well, feeling peace again after so long.

TO BE CONTINUED


	53. Union of Souls Chapter 53

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

.

The Dog-Lord woke later, feeling a dull ache in his chest. The pain was less than it had been when the wound was fresh, but he could still feel the pain of that damned blade where it had pierced him. Its power would probably keep the wound from healing for some time. Perhaps as much as a week would go by before he would be well enough...

He grunted and rolled onto his side. The sky outside was cloudy, but a few rays of light still fell on Yoshiko's face. A few strands of her hair fell over her eyes; the Dog-Lord flicked them away. Nestled in her arms was their sleeping child, his tiny fists clutching at his mother's undergown.

The Dog-Lord ran his finger over his baby son's crumpled dog ears. He had dreamed of this moment ever since Yoshiko had told him she was pregnant. Well, he hadn't dreamed of being wounded, or of Yoshiko giving birth in the madness of a battle. But he had dreamed of this -- of them together, with their child between them.

His mind flew back to the battle, and that one horrifying moment when he had thought he was going to die. He had been careless -- his guard had been down when he killed the dragon. An inch more, and the spear would have pierced his heart. And then, he thought, what would have become of Yoshiko and their son? The thought of dying, leaving them alone and unprotected, made him angry and fearful at once.

Someday, he might meet the demon who could best him -- he had heard rumors of a deadly dragon somewhere to the east, who was said to be unbeatable. But he hadn't met it yet. And with a young wife and a new son, he didn't plan to meet it unless he had to.

The Dog-Lord's face fell slightly as he looked at his human bride, sleeping peacefully for the first time in months. He knew that she was mortal -- he would die one day, but probably time would steal her from him long before them. But he wouldn't leave it at that. He had been lonely before he met her, and he would be lonely again when she died. But he would not let her be lost to him -- if need be, he would find where she was reborn, and bring her back to him.

The baby stirred a little, clenching his tiny fists.

The Dog-Lord smiled slightly. But before it came to that, they would have many years together. And many more children as well -- their child might be shunned by many demons and humans, but he would not be alone.

Yoshiko shifted a little and nestled against his shoulder. The Dog-Lord reflected on her; few people knew of her courage. Even she didn't seem to know. But he had seen it. She had made love to a powerful demon, without any signs of fear. She had borne his child, and had left behind her old life for a new one where she was a despised oddity. And still she trusted him, depended on him. Loved him. Not once had she broken from fear or sorrow, or complained about where she was now.

A faint whimper caught his attention.

The Dog-Lord grunted in pain as he sat up, throwing off the blanket. Then he eased his newborn son from Yoshiko's arms, without waking her. He walked quietly to the window, looking out over the skies -- the battle had left a sweeping rift in the land, still smoking hours later.

His baby son blinked in the sunlight, and one of his white ears twitched.

"Getting used to life on the outside," the Dog-Lord murmured. "It won't be easier for you now, I'm afraid..." His face grew sober. "The world doesn't look kindly on those such as you, or your mother and I. But find people who see you for who you are, and that will be all you need."

The baby was small enough that his entire body fit in his father's strong hands. He wriggled and twisted, trying to grab his father's thumbs. The Dog-Lord smiled, holding his son close to his bandaged chest. Human blood or none, his son was a strong one. When he was grown, he would be what his father and mother wished for him -- he would have a demon lord's strength, and a human heart, and the bravery that both of his parents could give to him. His father's courage, and his mother's strength of will.

The baby started to fuss, and the Dog-Lord gently began to rock him. It had been centuries since he had last dealt with a baby, but it was slowly coming back to him.

The Dog-Lord stroked his son's rumpled white head. A tiny fist clutched at the bandages, and was enveloped by a large clawed hand. "One day," the Dog-Lord said quietly, "you will make me proud. This much I know."

TO BE CONTINUED


	54. Union of Souls Chapter 54

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

x.

The child's rooms were silent. Almost.

Sesshomaru paused outside the door, listening. His father and the human girl were still in her room, resting and sleeping. But the younger demon, who had been only wounded lightly, was already awake. And he felt that he needed to see the halfbreed child. His younger brother.

Beside him, Jaken was fluttering around anxiously. "Milord, do you think that it is wise to be out of your chambers so soon? After all, you were wounded in the battle. And begging your pardon, milord, if even your noble father was injured-"

Sesshomaru ignored his babbling servant. He pushed open the door, and walked quickly inside.

The maidservant-turned-nursemaid Rusiko was kneeling beside a small bed; under a rumpled blanket, a tiny shape was moving and kicking. "Lord Sesshomaru," Rusiko said, bowing to the floor. "Er, why are you..."

Sesshomaru came slightly closer and stared down at the little bed.

The baby was lying on his back, blinking with wide eyes at the ceiling. He still had the damp, rumpled look of a newborn. Worse, he looked like a dog-demon. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the baby's face and body. Pale silver hair, sticking out at all angles. Golden eyes. Fair skin. And soft claws on its tiny clenched fingers.

Cold contempt rose inside him. Whatever the baby looked like, it was still born of a human wench, and the mark of its blood would never be erased. What he found even more revolting was that he could smell Yoshiko's scent all over the child. It would be a blot on his father's very name, a reminder of a liaison with a human girl, even after she was long dead.

"Ugh," Jaken said loudly. "Such a pitiful creature."

Sesshomaru kept silent. He stared for a moment longer at the squirming baby, memorizing its every feature. The baby paused in his wriggling and flailing, and stared blearily up at his brother. Then he started to cry, shrilly and pitifully.

Looking unnerved, Rusiko scooped up the baby and tried to calm him down. Sesshomaru watched her for a moment longer, and he suddenly had the feeling that this mewling whelp would complicate his life. Then he turned and walked back out, with Jaken tripping behind him.

x.

Yoshiko yawned and rubbed her eyes.

The sun had risen, and the pale morning light was seeping in the windows. Still sleepy, the young woman rose and walked to the window, looking out over the great sweep of mountains and plains. And in the middle of the woods, near a spiky mountaintop, was a great smoking gouge.

She shivered. Then she looked back at the Dog-Lord, still stretched out in her bed. He was sleeping peacefully; breathing didn't seem to pain him as much as before. He sighed quietly as she sat down beside him, and put her hand over his larger one. Then his eyes opened. "Morning?" he asked huskily.

"Yes."

"Where is he?"

"Rusiko took him to his own rooms. She said that we should get some rest." Yoshiko slipped in beside him, and rested her head on his shoulder. "I thought that if he cried, he might wake you."

"I don't mind being woken." The Dog-Lord absently stroked her hair.

"But you were wounded -- I thought you should just sleep as much as possible."

"Wounded? I'll be fine again in a few days." The Dog-Lord pushed himself onto his elbow and winced.

The door slid open, and a rather rumpled Rusiko came in. A blanketed bundle was in her arms, making indignant squealing noises. "I beg your pardon," she murmured. "But he wouldn't stop crying, so I thought..."

The Dog-Lord watched quietly as Yoshiko took her baby and began nursing him. Then she flinched. "He's not being easy on me," she murmured.

The Dog-Lord ran a finger over his son's downy white head, and played with the crumpled dog ears. "I'll find you a wet nurse when I'm up and about," he said. His son's little fist grabbed the Dog-Lord's thumb, and squeezed it hard. The Dog-Lord smiled. "A strong one, aren't you.... Inuyasha?"

TO BE CONTINUED


	55. Union of Souls Chapter 55

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

x.

And so the child was named Inuyasha.

The first few days of his life were spent alone with his parents. Even when Yoshiko had recovered from the birth, she stayed with the Dog-Lord as his injuries healed. Sesshomaru visited once, to ask his father how he was faring. Yoshiko noticed that he paid absolutely no attention to her or to her baby, but she didn't allow herself to feel troubled.

Yoshiko was a little startled by the name the Dog-Lord had given their son. But after thinking about it, she realized why. Their son would be raised among demons, who would only see him as half human. His name would remind them whose son he was, and emphasize that he was also half demon.

Soon the Dog-Lord was well again, although he was still weakened for several weeks by the serpent's attack. But no demons even thought to bother him. With the loss of their leader, all the enemy demons had crept into crevices and holes, trying to avoid the wrath of the Dog-Lord. He ignored many of them, considering them to be below his contempt. But when he was well enough, he hunted down many of the more powerful ones.

Rusiko was chosen as the baby's nursemaid, while her sisters continued tending to Yoshiko. And true to his word, the Dog-Lord found a wet-nurse for Inuyasha. She was a disdainful, silent demoness, who treated Yoshiko with the same tight-lipped civility that Sesshomaru did. But Yoshiko didn't care. As long as her baby was fed, she cared nothing for what the girl thought of her.

She spent many of her days in the gardens, or with her maids. And Inuyasha was usually with her. Her baby usually was resting in her arms or on her lap, his bleary golden eyes blinking at the blossoms nodding over him. Then he reached up, trying to grab one in his tiny clumsy fingers.

He was not an easy baby at times. He howled when a screen pinched his hand, and he cried when a bout of colic pained him. But no matter how difficult he was, Yoshiko was just glad that he was there. And the Dog-Lord just chuckled and walked along the mountain ridges, with his sobbing son cradled safely in his strong arms.

Sometimes the Dog-Lord was gone for some days, but he always was glad to return. Sesshomaru, however, was rarely in his father's home. He spent long weeks roaming, claiming to have one errand or another to perform. And his father, knowing that he wanted to avoid Yoshiko and the new baby, did not protest Sesshomaru's absences. He felt sorrow that his elder son could not reconcile himself to Yoshiko and little Inuyasha.

And so the next few months passed....

x.

Inuyasha growled, gnawing harder on his father's fingers.

"You're quite a little tiger, aren't you?" The Dog-Lord smiled.

His wrist was being tightly clutched by his son's small clawed hands, and Inuyasha seemed to be trying to wrestle his father's arm in submission. He growled again, wrapping his tiny bowed legs around his father's arm, and contining to toothlessly bite the Dog-Lord's fingers. There was a fierce gleam in Inuyasha's golden eyes.

The Dog-Lord smiled. Inuyasha was only two and a half months old, but he already had his father's fighting spirit. "Yes, you're a fighter, aren't you?" he murmured, putting his face down to his son's. "You won't let anyone beat you. Not even your father."

Inuyasha made a muffled squeal noise, and shoved the Dog-Lord's clawed thumb away.

There was a rustling outside the door, and it shot open. The Dog-Lord sat up quickly. He had nothing to hide, but he didn't like the idea of compromising his dignity by letting the servants see. Whenever he rolled around and played with Inuyasha, he made sure no one saw except Yoshiko.

It was Rusiko, looking flushed. "Milord," she said, hurriedly bowing to him. "There is an old demon here -- Totosai."

The Dog-Lord frowned, as Inuyasha squirmed around and gnawed on his forefinger. "Old Totosai," he mused. "So he's shown up, has he?"

"He has, milord. He and his bull are at the gates."

"Well, let him in. What does he want?"

"He says that he... um, that he's here to check on the swords he made for you." Rusiko looked uncertain, since she knew of no swords.

The Dog-Lord smiled slightly. "Tell him I'll be there when my son is finished sparring with me." He gave the baby a playful shove.

TO BE CONTINUED


	56. Union of Souls Chapter 56

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

x.

The old demon was very odd-looking. He was one of the more human-looking demons Yoshiko had seen, except for a pair of very large, very bulging eyes. He came in with a giant hammer over his shoulder, glancing around and finally settling his eyes on her child.

The Dog-Lord sat down beside her, with Inuyasha in his lap. The baby blinked up at Totosai, then began batting at his father's long silver hair. The Dog-Lord handed him to Yoshiko, and stood up to greet the old swordsmith. "Totosai," the Dog-Lord said. "You came about the swords?"

"Not a bad place, you have here," Totosai said approvingly.

"Thank you. The swords?"

"What? Oh yes, the swords. Well, since you just went through an enormous battle, I thought I should check them to make sure your fangs were up to the job. You never know what makes a good sword..."

The Dog-Lord drew out both Tenseiga and Tetsusaiga, and held them out. Totosai studied the blades, closing one bulbous eye and then the other. "Tenseiga's fine. It's barely been used, I can see. Tetsusaiga's a little bit chipped around the edges," he said finally. "Not too surprising, after all. They're still new, and it'll toughen up after a decade or two. But you were quite rough with it, weren't you? Don't deny it, I can see the signs."

As he took the sword and held it up, Totosai's eye fell on Yoshiko and Inuyasha. "Ah, so that's the whelp you were talking about before."

"This is my younger son, Inuyasha," the Dog-Lord said, swelling a little. Yoshiko boosted the baby up a little, to let Totosai see him better.

"Ah, the one Tetsusaiga was made for." Totosai studied the baby's face.

Inuyasha wrinkled his tiny nose and stared back at Totosai, as if he didn't like what he saw. The old swordsmith stared back with his bulging eyes. Then Inuyasha buried his face in his mother's flowing kimonos, and Yoshiko stroked his little white head.

"Bit of a runt, isn't he?" Totosai finally said.

"He's only two months old," the Dog-Lord said coldly. But he kept his tongue in check, knowing that he might still need Totosai in the future. "I imagine he'll get bigger. Most children do."

"Probably," Totosai said, oblivious to the Dog-Lord's displeasure.

He sat down on the floor and blew out his cheeks -- then spewed an enormous gout of fire over the sword's blade. Yoshiko gasped and clutched Inuyasha closer to her, but the Dog-Lord gestured that everything was all right. Then he sat down beside her, watching closely as Totosai began hammering the red-hot blade. Inuyasha blinked over his mother's arm, curious at all the noise and heat.

Finally Totosai stood up, holding the cooling Tetsusaiga. "There. Good as new. Just be gentle with her for awhile. Your whelp didn't play with it, did he?"

"No," the Dog-Lord said curtly.

"Good thing. Don't want him breaking in new teeth on a sword like this." Totosai glanced over at the wide-eyed baby, still nestled in his mother's arms. "He might not be able to break it, but he could certainly crack it."

"I'll keep it in mind." The Dog-Lord took the smoking sword, and lightly tossed it from hand to hand, waiting for it to cool. The blade didn't look too different from before -- it was a little more worn-looking than Tenseiga, but that wasn't surprising. Except for a test on a dead bird, he hadn't used the Tenseiga on anything -- although on the day of that battle, he thought he might have to use it on Yoshiko.

"Well then, I'll be going," Totosai said. He strode out the door and hopped onto the back of a three-eyed bull, then vanished in a flash of light.

Inuyasha blinked. Yoshiko knew how her baby felt. "Who was that?" she asked.

"The demon who forged Tetsusaiga," the Dog-Lord said, sitting down beside her. "We owe him a great deal.... even if he does go too far when talking about Inuyasha." He rumpled his son's ears.

Yoshiko sighed and put her hand on Tetsusaiga's blade. "Do you think he'll need this, when he's older?" she asked hesitantly.

A darker look came over the Dog-Lord's face. "I hope he doesn't," he said quietly. "I had the Tetsusaiga made as a sort of insurance. Because if he does need it, it will be far harder on him... than I ever wished for it to be."

Inuyasha stared up at his father, then began to fuss.

TO BE CONTINUED


	57. Union of Souls Chapter 57

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

x.

Yoshiko smiled and ran her fingers through Inuyasha's silvery hair. His little pointed ear twitched against her hand. He snuggled against her in his sleep, sucking on his little fist. It was strange -- when he was awake, he looked intense and fiery, like his father. But when he slept, his little face softened. He looked almost like an ordinary baby then.

After Totosai had left, Yoshiko had retired to her chambers for awhile. She had felt hurt by Totosai calling her son a "runt," as if he were a weak puppy. He wasn't. He never would be. Even the Dog-Lord told her that their son was strong even among demons -- and he would never lie about something so important, even to spare her feelings.

The Dog-Lord settled down on the futon beside her, and stroked Inuyasha's head as well. Yoshiko rested her head on his shoulder, thinking. It was strange. Only a year had gone by since she had met him. Over a year ago, she had been a meek, dutiful daughter, expecting a political marriage and a life much like her mother's. The thought of doing otherwise would have more than strange... it would have frightened her.

Instead, she had fallen in love with a demon, one so powerful that just hearing about him frightened most humans. She had left her family and her betrothed. She had become pregnant without anyone's knowledge, and had borne a half-demon child, whose very existance would have caused a horrifying scandal if her family knew.

And none of it mattered. The only thing that frightened her now was the thought of what her life might have been like, if she had been afraid before -- if she had been too much of a coward to tell the Dog-Lord how she felt... if she had been too much of a coward to flee her old home.

Inuyasha yawned and blinked up at her.

"Not now," Yoshiko whispered as the Dog-Lord began kissing the side of her neck.

"Why not?"

"He's watching us..."

"Ah, he'll have to learn eventually anyway," the Dog-Lord murmured. But he sat back, waiting for Yoshiko to summon Rusiko.

Yoshiko kissed her drowsy baby's forehead, before handing him over to his nursemaid. Then she glanced at the bedding beside her... but the Dog-Lord was gone. Frowning, Yoshiko glanced over at an open window screen.

He was standing half-clad at the end of the cliff, staring off into the distance. The mountain mists were drawing around the palace, but the great crater in the distance could still be seen faintly. Yoshiko shivered and drew her underrobe closer around her. "What's wrong?" she asked softly.

The Dog-Lord's golden eyes narrowed slightly in thought. He seemed reluctant to speak. Finally, "It won't be easy," he said quietly.

"What won't?"

"Life. For you, and for our son." The Dog-Lord turned to her. "For me... nothing is hard. But they will always shun you. And they will always shun him as well, no matter how much he seems like a full demon."

"He doesn't even look human," Yoshiko protested.

"He doesn't look it. But demons can tell," the Dog-Lord said. "I smell it in him. And so will others." He smiled slightly. "But maybe I will be enough to make others treat him as he deserves."

"Have you seen other half-demons?"

"Yes. Sometimes. I never spoke to them or did battle with any of them, but I saw how they acted from a distance. Mistrustful. Lonely. Sometimes they dared trust no one, human or demon, and lived alone and angry. I never spoke to any... because they feared what a powerful demon lord would do to them." His face darkened. "I would not have our son be like those... even if he cannot ever really belong."

"I know that it won't be easy for either of us," Yoshiko said softly, resting in his arms. "I knew it all along, when I left home. You told me yourself that it would not be easy."

"And has it been?"

"No... but it has been worth the troubles..."

The Dog-Lord smiled softly. No matter what happens, he thought, no matter what tries to drive us apart, I will always be with you. Always.

THE END


End file.
